Piracy: The New Generation
by YolkaEd
Summary: As the Great Age of Piracy is rekindled once again, people set their sights on the quest for the adventurers romance... either that, or a buttload of cash. Characters accepted!
1. The New Beginning

**A/N:** Okay, I might admit that I'm jumping on a bandwagon here, but these "I'll-put-your-character-in-this-story" stories seem to be quite popular. So, let's get on to business!

Disclaimer: One Piece is most definitely (and sadly) not my property.

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_**Piracy: The New Generation**_

_The sea was calm, as it always used to be. Nothing too exciting was going on ever since the death of the Second Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy, who against all odds managed to find the great treasure of One Piece, which had been hidden by Gol D. Roger, the first Pirate King._

_However, even with the death of Luffy, the Great Age of Piracy didn't cease, but was rekindled, due to his final words on the scaffold; nearly identical to the speech Roger gave at the time of his death. So, once again, pirates from all over the world set sail for the Grand Line, in search of wealth, fame and power._

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**Prologue**

**The Bone-Hard Captain and the Everyday-Man**

"Pirate attack!" The horrified yell from a citizen sent most of the villagers in the town square in an uproar, as people were running away from the coast as quickly as possible. However, five people remained standing exactly where they were; one of them had his shoulder-long brown hair covering his left eye, whilst wearing a tattered, grey hoodie-jacket that only barely hid a scar running from his neck to his thigh, with black jeans and sandals. Also notable was the ivory labrys hanging from his back, and that his right hand was gloved, whereas his left hand wasn't.

"Hey, Nampu," he said, as he looked at one of the guys with him, "did I hear things, or are pirates attacking again?" The guy he was talking to had, in contrast, short, spiky blonde hair, wearing a red t-shirt with cut-off arms, making it resemble an undershirt. He also wore blue shorts and a pair of boots. In addition, a bag was swung over his left shoulder.

"I think it's the latter." Nampu replied lazily, as he weighed the bag in his hand, before looking at the other three. "You guys stay behind as back-up, whilst Zugai and I take out those thugs, okay?" he said to the three others, as they nodded, before running inside a building. "Heh, no wonder they're called The Sniper Trio around here."

Zugai sighed, as he looked towards the harbour, where a pirate ship was now visible. "Let's get going; with any luck, there's enough of material to finish my boat!" Then, both of them ran towards the harbour.

When they got there, they could see how eager the captain of the ship was to board on the island, whereas the crewmembers seemed rather intimidated by the setting; there were dozens of masts scattered across the coastline. "Arr, don't worry, me men! We'll be swimmin' in loads of booty any minute now, arr!" the captain said in a very stereotypical pirate-y speech manner.

As the captain laughed, he suddenly noticed both Zugai and Nampu. "Eh? An' who be ye boys?" he asked, noting the axe which was now in Zugai's hands.

Zugai merely cracked his neck, before nudging Nampu. "Do what you do best, buddy." he said, as he eyed the captain, the grip around his axe tightening. Nodding, Nampu stuck his hand into the bag, and when he pulled it out, he was holding a decent-sized rock, which he then proceeded to throw right at the captain's head, knocking him unconscious with a single hit. "Hey, don't go hogging the fun!" Zugai suddenly exclaimed, making Nampu sigh in retaliation.

"Hey, bud, it's not MY fault that their captain couldn't take a single blow to the skull. You should give him some credit as well!" he responded, without noticing that the pirate crew was rapidly growing angry due to their captain being knocked out.

"I'll give credit where credit's due, Nampu; you threw the rock too hard!" Zugai snapped back, which instantly triggered a stare-down between the two, much to the confusion of the pirate crew they were facing.

"I can't help it; any slower and it wouldn't hit!"

"Then try aiming for something other than his head! Or better yet, use something different as a weapon!"

"Like what, a shard of glass?! You're just as thick as that axe you're carrying around!"

"Hey, don't insult Honehakaisha!"

"I'll insult it as much as I want to, emo-hairdo!"

"Says the guy who rips apart his clothes!"

"Oh, like YOU know anything about fashion, Mister Tattered-Jacket!"

"At least I'm not GAY!"

"Oh, you did NOT just go there!"

"AHEM." The quarrel between Zugai and Nampu had left them completely unaware that the entire crew (minus the captain, of course) had snuck up on them. Once they finally realized that, they turned to face the crew, which turned out to consist of twenty men.

"If we take ten each, do we call a truce?" Zugai asked in a calm tone, as he released his left hand from the axe, holding it only with his gloved hand. Nampu nodded, as he began rummaging through his bag.

"But I'm STILL kinda sore about you calling me gay; even if it is the truth." he replied, as he fished out a small bag attached to a string, with something apparently inside of it.

And just like that, the two charged right into the awaiting horde of pirates, much to the surprise of their adversaries. Zugai began by quickly chopping down two pirates taken by surprise, before effortlessly blocking an incoming blow with his labrys, sending the offending sword into the sea. "You're really not putting your soul into it, pal! Let me show you how it's done!" he said, before promptly giving the pirate a good punch in the face.

Nampu, on the other hand, had an equally easy encounter going on; simply by swinging the bag around over his head was he able to knock three men down without even checking to see how he did. And whilst he was fighting, he even had the guts to gossip about recent events with the pirates he defeated. "And then, I swear, Kia comes into the room, and she's wearing THE ugliest dress you've EVER seen. I have no idea why she would even wear a dress; she's just not that kind of girl, really…"

However, a series of clicks could be heard, and both Zugai and Nampu were surrounded by numerous pirates holding them at gunpoint. "Well, that was both expected and unexpected." Zugai sighed, as he nudged the still-rambling Nampu. "Hey, we're surrounded. You can gossip later."

Nampu sighed, as he looked around. "It's like this EVERY time I try to help you fend off these guys. Should we call for backup?"

Zugai opened his mouth to speak, when suddenly, several gunshots went off, and the pirates fell flat on their back, having been shot to death. When the duo looked up to see where the shots came from, they found that the people who previously ran into the building had taken out the pirates from the rooftop. "Nah, they got the situation under control." Zugai sighed, as he boarded the ship.

Standing over the unconscious captain, Zugai suddenly yanked him up by his hair, and slapped his face a few times. "Gnh… Arr, what happened? And why be ye holdin' me by me hair?" he asked in a slightly frightened tone, to which Zugai only smirked.

"Don't worry, I'll explain, but just as soon as I get to borrow something…"

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"Phew, it's finally done!" The sun was now setting in the horizon, and Zugai was standing on a makeshift harbour, where he gazed upon his handiwork; a boat as white as the axe on his back, the sun's rays giving off the illusion that the boat sparkled. The figurehead was in the shape of a wolf's head growling. "Quite fitting, I must say. Well, guess it's time." With that, he was about to set foot into the boat, when…

"ZUGAI!" The all-too familiar call of his friend prompted him to turn around, to see that Nampu was standing right behind him, arms crossed and a deadly gaze to boot. "And just where do YOU think you're going, mister?"

Zugai chuckled, as he put his hand on Nampu's shoulder. "Buddy, I've told you; the only reason I made this ship was in order to sail to the Grand Line. That crew has to be there, I just know it!" Then, he turned in order to get back on the boat, but a hand holding his right arm back prevented him from doing so. "Let go, Nampu; I'm going, and that's that."

"I know that, bud, but you're forgetting something…" Nampu's voice was quite sincere, as he blinked his eyes a few times, clearing his throat. "You didn't ask me if I wanted to come."

Zugai sighed once again, as he looked towards the horizon, which was now coloured orange due to the setting sun. "I didn't. The burden is mine to bear, and mine alone. I need to confront them, and that's-"

"That's a load of bull, Zugai!" The sudden exclamation made Zugai glance over his shoulder, to cross gaze with Nampu's eyes. "Both you and I know that the Grand Line is where the Pirate King hid his treasure, One Piece! If that crew went there, they have to be exceptionally powerful, as will any other crew you meet there! Even though you're a powerhouse, you can't do this alone." That was when he finally let go of Zugai's arm. "We've been best pals ever since they dropped you off here, and that's never gonna change. So, like it or not, the only way you're going to stop me from following you is to take that axe and behead me! And THAT'S that!"

Zugai looked surprised at Nampu, whose eyes were shining with a brilliant determination. "So, I just have to kill you?" he said, as he reached for his axe. No change of expression. Both of them stood like that for a while, before suddenly, both of them burst into laughter. "Alright, I give!" Zugai managed to spurt out between laughing fits. "You'd probably swim after me, anyway, so what the hell, you can come along!"

"I just about knew you'd give in, bonehead!" Both of them continued laughing, before they finally ran out of breath. Heaving for air, Nampu looked at the brilliant ship that stood before them. "Hey, you weren't serious about that whole beheading-thing?" he said, as he jumped onboard the ship.

Zugai tapped his chin a few times, before jumping aboard as well. "Well, to be honest, yeah I was." Both of them laughed again (although Nampu's was a little weak), before Zugai raised the anchor, as the boat finally floated from the shore, which now had yet another mast lying on the coast. "So long, Hobashira Island!" he called, as the boat slowly faded into the horizon, setting the stepping stone for the next adventure…

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**Crew Members:**

**Zugai Hibiware – **Captain/Shipwright/Blacksmith

**Nampu Kiyasui – **First Mate

**A/N:**Well, hope you enjoyed the prologue! I'll be taking character requests (because if I only had characters I inserted into the story, it would get tedious, and I'd lose ideas), so for your convenience, here's a fine template for your convenience:

Name: (Full Name)

Age:

Gender:

Specialty/Position: (Basically what they're good at, and what position they could have on the crew

Race: (Only races found within the One Piece Canon)

Devil Fruit/Weapon/Attacks: (You don't need a Devil Fruit, if you do not wish for it)

Physical Appearance: (Be as descriptive as possible, please)

History: (Again, descriptive is good)

Personality: (Include positive traits, negative traits, hobbies, fears and whatever else you can think about)

Likes:

Dislikes:

Dream:

Other: (Anything else you can think to add)

So, there ya go! Knock yourselves out, and don't forget to review!

**YolkaEd**


	2. Annai Island part 1

**A/N: **Righto, just want to thank those who have reviewed the story thus far, and I'll get around to your characters eventually. But, for now, let's enjoy part _deux!_

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Adventure at Annai Island part 1**

**The Magic Swordsman and the Explosive Archer**

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The ivory ship sailed the sea smoothly, with nothing encountering the pair that could hamper their journey. However, there was just one tiny problem that evolved as a result of that…

"Zugai, I'm huuuuuuungry!" Nampu moaned, as his body was sprawled over the deck. Just then, Zugai, who had been looking at his gloved hand all the while, looked over at his comrade.

"I told you, we have no food left! I only stocked for one person, I didn't expect a second one to board my ship yet." he sighed, as he spied over the horizon, hoping to see something resembling an island ahead of them.

"Aren't you gonna name it, Zugai?" Nampu asked, as he got up from the deck, but he only had strength enough to sit straight. "Calling the ship "Boaty" or "Shipper" seems a little childish for a pirate crew, if ya ask me."

"Pirate crew?" Zugai looked at Nampu with a puzzled glance, before returning his gaze towards the horizon. "I never said anything about becoming a pirate. Heck, I've been fighting them for, what, six years now? I'd probably go as some sort of bounty hunter."

Nampu pouted, as he lay down again, looking at the sky. "Bounty hunters are lame; they fight just to earn a quick buck. And you know what I think of the Marines."

Zugai chuckled, as he yawned a little. "Keep telling yourself that, but the only way I'm becoming a pirate is if I get a bounty." As he was about to collapse on the deck as well, he suddenly noticed something in the horizon. "An island! Nampu, there's an island just ahead!"

Nampu suddenly sprung up, and went besides Zugai to see what he was gazing at. Sure, there was an island ahead of them, with a long, tall mountain that literally could have been a gigantic sign that read "I AM AN ISLAND, FOR YOUR INFORMATION. LAND ON ME". "Now, that's not something you see everyday. Know what it's called?" Nampu asked out of the blue, as he looked towards the mountain the ship was getting closer to.

"Dunno." Zugai replied, as he shrugged his shoulders. "We'll just have to ask someone once we get there."

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At the harbour, many people were gazing in awe at the ivory ship that was anchoring next to them. Both Zugai and Nampu jumped ship once the anchor had been fully secured, before Zugai walked up to a woman. "Excuse me, but do you think you could tell me the name of the island?"

The woman stuttered a little, mostly due to Zugai's labrys hanging from his back. "I-it-it's called… Annai Island." she said, before suddenly breaking into a jog to get away from Zugai. Shrugging, Zugai walked back to his partner, who was shaking his head.

"Tsk, tsk, buddy, you have no sense of subtlety." Nampu muttered, as he proceeded to walk down a street. "I got around 15.000 beri on me, so I'll restock our food supply. You have fun guarding YOUR ship. Ta-Ta!"

Zugai was about to protest, but in all honesty, he couldn't. Who knew exactly what kind of hoodlums could reside on the island? Besides, Nampu wasn't as efficient in battle as Zugai was, so it seemed more sensible for him to go shopping instead of guarding the ship. "Well, might as well figure out a name for the ship whilst he's away."

As Zugai pondered about the name for the ship, he failed to notice a figure in the shadows observing him, and a pair of blades in its hands was visible, if you focused enough. Then, out of nowhere, when the only man left on the harbour was Zugai, it charged right at him, swinging a sword towards his left side.

Zugai, though shocked to see someone ambush him in broad daylight, quickly pulled out his labrys with his left hand, as he blocked the incoming blow without much effort. "Gee, what a nice welcoming committee!" Zugai said sarcastically, as he pushed the blade away from him. However, as soon as he did that, the attacker suddenly swung the other sword at his right side, where Zugai was practically defenceless.

However, Zugai retaliated by grabbing the blade with his gloved hand, which produced the sound of metal striking metal. Now he could get a better look at his assailant; it was a boy, around 14 years of age, with dirty blonde hair and dark blue eyes. He was also wearing a navy-blue T-shirt, and a pair of black jeans. The swords were unique in a way; they were falcatas, instead of the traditional katana.

Suddenly, the blade in Zugai's hand suddenly emanated a red glow, as the boy smirked. However, it soon faded once he saw that Zugai's expression remained neutral. "Why… aren't you in pain?!" Suddenly, the blade flared up, as the glove immediately caught fire, but still, Zugai's expression was completely neutral. "It's not possible! The heat from the blade should be able to melt off flesh! Why aren't you flinching?!"

Suddenly, a fist impacted with the boy's head, revealing a girl standing behind him. "Man, KC, I can't leave you alone for more than five minutes, can I?" In contrast to the boy's blonde hair, hers was dark brown, and her blue eyes were crystal clear. She was wearing a red T-shirt (like Nampu's, except her arms were still intact), and white jeans.

Groaning in pain, KC looked at the girl with pleading eyes. "But Krystal, you can't deny that he's a pirate! I mean, look at the axe, and his hand- OH MY GOD, HIS HAND'S ON FIRE!" Suddenly, he noticed that Zugai's glove was still ablaze and promptly fainted.

Just as he did, Nampu came walking down to the harbour with a few bags, whistling a catchy tune. "Zugai, you won't believe the discount I got on these clothes! And I got us some food, and-" Just then, he noticed the unconscious boy, the flustered girl, and Zugai's burning hand. "Um, bud, why is you hand on fire?"

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Later that day, inside a house, Nampu and Zugai were sitting on a couch, arms crossed. Zugai's left hand was hidden underneath a pocket, as his glove had, naturally, burnt away into ashes. At that moment, Krystal walked up to them with some muffins. "Sorry about that, but KC's a little wary of newcomers. Please, help yourself!"

Nampu nodded, as he took two muffins, and handed one to Zugai, who grabbed it with his right hand, before proceeding to nimble a little on it. "But, I do gotta ask, though; however did that kid manage to set a sword ablaze?"

Krystal sighed, as she looked upwards. "He's eaten one of the Devil Fruit's, the Juken Juken no Mi. It allows him to transfer elemental powers into a sword, giving them stronger attributes, like fire and ice. He's called The Magic Swordsman around this island."

Nampu nodded, as he took a bite of the muffin. "Sounds like a powerhouse! Zugai, you gotta ask him if he wants to join our crew!" he said to his partner, nudging him a little.

"I don't think that's gonna work." Krystal sighed, as she sat down in a chair, moving a hand through her hair. "Oh yeah, I never got your names! I'm Krystal Gem, and you are?" she suddenly added, holding out a hand.

Nampu looked at the hand, before smiling as he grabbed it. "I'm Nampu Kiyasui, and this guy's Zugai Hibiware!" he said, as he motioned at Zugai. "We're headed out to the Grand Line, so we can find One Piece!"

Hearing this, Krystal suddenly broke into laughter. "Sorry, but that's the first time anyone has ever said that with a straight face right next to me! You are aware of the dangers the Grand Line is hiding?" she said, as she wiped a tear from her eye, still having a little laughing fit.

"Eh, we'll manage." Nampu said with a shrug. "I know it doesn't look that way, but I'm the brains of the group here." he added with a chuckle, which earned him a light whack to the head from Zugai.

"Listen, if you're trying to hit on me, Nampu, then don't. I hate it when people do that." Krystal said again, though in a more serious tone. Nampu retaliated by acting like he had been accused of something.

"Sorry, but I really don't swing that way." he said, as he leaned back into the couch. "And before you ask, no, me and Zugai are NOT a couple; we're just friends."

Krystal opened her mouth to speak, when she realized what Nampu meant. "Oh, right, sorry, my bad. So, anyway, how come Zugai didn't flinch when his hand was set ablaze?" she asked, looking at Zugai's left arm.

"Oh, that…" Nampu gave Zugai a worried look, before looking sheepishly at Krystal. "Oh, no, you REALLY don't want to know about that, it's really gross. Very icky stuff, and-"

Just then, Zugai pulled out his left hand from his pocket, which made Krystal clasp her hand before her mouth. Zugai's left hand was pure bone! There was no flesh, no muscle, nothing but the joint on his wrist keeping it from falling off his body, but the strangest part was that it was fully capable of moving!

"Oh my god… how did that-"

"I also happen to be a Devil Fruit user." Zugai sighed, as he stuffed his skeletal hand into his pocket again. "The Hone Hone no Mi. It allows me to control the density of my bones, as well as the density of other's bones."

Krystal blinked a few times, before shaking her head. "No, I meant, how is your hand-" Suddenly, the sound of a Den Den Mushi beeping could be heard, and Krystal sighed. "Sorry, but I gotta go. It's time for my practice sessions. You just enjoy those muffins!" With that, she left in a huff.

Nampu looked after her as she left, before looking at the muffins. "Well, more for us, I suppose! Oh, and by the way, I got a glove for you, Zugai. Seems pretty useful now, what with your previous glove bursting into flames." he said with a chuckle, before promptly taking a muffin in his hand.

Zugai, on the other hand, stood up from the couch, and walked towards the window, where he could see across a field. There, he saw KC clashing swords with a person who seemed to be around Zugai's age, with messy brown hair and baggy clothes. However, it seemed to be more of a sparring match than an actual duel.

Looking a little bit away from KC, he saw Krystal aiming at solid rock with a bow and arrow. Suddenly, she fired at it, making the rock explode into a thousand bits. Zugai nodded with an impressed look on his face. "Say, Nampu, I found a name for the ship while you were shopping."

Nampu looked curiously at his captain, as his face was stuffed with muffins. "Ogh, eely? Vads da nme, den?" he said, which really translated out to "Oh, really? What's the name then?", but due to lots of muffins being inside Nampu's mouth, it sounded like the former.

Laughing a little, Zugai looked at the two fighters down below. "I'll tell ya, once those two are in my crew."

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**A/N: **Well, hope you liked this chapter! KC and Krystal have been the brainchildren of **KCSonic113's** imagination. Keep on reviewing, and if you can forgive the droning exposition (because One Piece isn't just about pirates beating others down, ya know), I'll see you for part _tres._

**YolkaEd**


	3. Annai Island part 2

**A/N: **Alrighty, if you've been waiting for some action (not that the last two didn't have action scenes XP), then to-chapter's the chapter! Let's get crackin'!

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Adventure at Annai Island part 2**

**The Wicked Knight's Assault!**

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"Vadsh dat aghn?" Right now, both Krystal and KC had finished up their training, and were now dining with Zugai and Nampu at a restaurant, but the ones eating the most were Nampu and KC, both racing to apparently consume as much as possible, much to the amusement of Krystal, and bewilderment of Zugai.

"I'll ask you again; would you guys be interested in joining my crew?" Zugai said, as he grabbed a chicken leg with his left hand (which was now sporting a black leather glove), and took a good bite out of it. "Both of you are exceptionally good fighters; you with your swordsmanship, and her with her archery. It'd be a great addition to the crew."

KC eyed Zugai curiously, whilst still chowing down, Nampu having given up just a few moments before. "Nah, not intrshtd." he replied, before swallowing what he had in his mouth. "I don't feel like joining a pirate crew, and I'm still training with Sean to master my abilities! One day, I'm even gonna learn the fabled Santoryu that the greatest swordsman ever was the master of! And I'm also gonna master the Sword of Light!"

Zugai nodded, as he rotated a piece of bread on his index finger. "Nice to see that you have ambitions, kid." he said, as he smiled a little. "Too bad that you won't be joining us, then."

Just then, Nampu spat out the water he had been drinking, and looked at Zugai, before looking at KC, then back again. "You can't be serious! You're giving up just like that?! But how am I supposed to find out whatever you called the boat?" Sighing, Nampu lay his head on the table. "This day really isn't looking up."

KC looked at Nampu in bewilderment, before looking back at Zugai. "Oh, yeah, that ivory boat you docked in the harbour. What's its name?"

Zugai smirked, as he took a bite out of the bread. "I said that I'd only tell once you two were part of my crew." he said mischievously, which earned him a murderous glare from Nampu. "Anyway, I need to go for a little. You guys can just finish eating, and I'll be back in a bit." With that, Zugai left the restaurant.

"Huh, wonder what he was going to do." Krystal wondered, before looking at Nampu. "Well, maybe you could tell us why Zugai's hand is… you know?"

Nampu looked at Krystal, and sighed. "Normally, I don't talk about it, mainly because it's a depressing memory. We came from an island known as Hobashira Island… or at least, I do." Nampu sat properly up in his chair, and cleared his throat a little. "Around 13 years ago, a pirate crew attacked my village, and I lost my elder brother in the attack. Afterwards, they abandoned a five-year old kid as they left; he had been forced to eat a Devil's Fruit. Though the villagers were intimidated by him, they allowed him to stay."

KC looked towards the door where Zugai had left. "So… his family was a pirate crew?"

Nampu nodded. "Though neither he nor I had any memory of it; we were young, and it slipped away soon afterwards, though I always wondered why my brother had vanished. But, anyway, he found out about his powers, and secluded himself away from others, and he nearly became a wreck without friends… until I approached him.

I had three friends called Kia, Ryder and Illith. All of them were fascinated by his powers, as was I, and we continued to pester him until he finally opened up to us. So, we became friends, naturally. He began studying shipbuilding and blacksmithing, whilst the three others began practicing with rifles."

Krystal eyed Nampu, as she knew he was hesitating to tell the rest of it. "And… what happened?"

Nampu sighed again. "Six years ago, a pirate crew attacked our village, and Zugai, bonehead that he is, rushed blindly into battle with an axe he made. It didn't go too well. They shattered his axe and ganged up on him. During that assault, he lost his left hand."

Both KC and Krystal looked at Nampu with a shocked look. "That's just terrible! How did he survive it?" KC said, but this made him receive yet another sigh from Nampu.

"Well, as the captain, same bloke who took his hand, readied to execute him, he reached out to his cut-off hand in desperation, and managed to actually drag the skeleton of that hand out of the flesh! Whilst it shocked both Zugai and the captain, he eventually recovered, and instinctively put the hand back into its place."

KC blinked a few times, holding his hand to his head. "Man, I can't believe it! Even for a Devil Fruit user, that's just surreal!" However, before he had time to question the credibility of Nampu's story, the door slammed open, drawing everyone's gaze there to see a man wearing a black jacket and grey pants heaving for breath at the door. "Dan! What's wrong? What happened?"

"Ugh… It's Sean… he-he's fighting The Wicked Knight!" Dan stuttered, before collapsing on his knees. Immediately, Krystal and Nampu rushed to his aid, helping him on his feet.

"Why… why would The Wicked Knight come here?!" Krystal was obviously upset, as she and Nampu helped Dan on a chair. Suddenly, KC ran out of the restaurant. "No, you idiot, don't! He's gonna kill you!"

"Excuse me, but who's this knight guy?" Nampu asked, as he looked out the door.

"The Wicked Knight, real name Kishikiyoi. He's a Marine captain who's famed for always being clad in armour, and for being a noble soul… at least, until a few months back." As Krystal was speaking, she was visibly frightened, trembling as she looked towards the door. "Why would he come all this way here?"

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At the harbour, there were now two ships left in the water; Zugai's ivory ship, and a black-coated vessel not too far from it. Also in front of the ships was Sean, the same man who had been coaching KC earlier, facing a tall man wearing steel armour coated black, his helmet in the shape of a jaguar's head. "I shall ask you only once more; where's The Magic Swordsman?"

Sean, ignoring the knight's words, quickly rushed at him with his own sword. "I'm not telling you anything, you son of a-" Suddenly, a hand grabbed Sean's throat, as the knight lifted him off the ground, not even bothering with reaching for a weapon.

"You don't seem to get it. I need to see this swordsman immediately! Now TALK! Or your head will rest on my ship for the remainder of my days!" the knight yelled in his face, as he threw Sean to the ground.

"If you're looking for the Magic Swordsman, then here he is!" a voice suddenly called, as someone jumped off the roof of a fish-shop not too far from the knight, holding two swords in his hands, one of them glowing red, whilst the other glowed blue. However, even though he tried to slash the knight, he missed by a mile as the knight merely sidestepped it.

"Interesting. A kid, of all things, is the Magic Swordsman I've heard so much about?" the knight laughed, as the figure, revealed to be KC, eyed him angrily.

"Shut up, Wicked Knight! Don't you dare harm one of my friends!" he yelled at the much bigger opponent, before looking over at Sean. "Don't worry, Sean; I'll put your training to good use now!" he said in a confident tone, before pointing the red falcato at the knight. "You'd best run away now, or else…"

The knight chuckled, before breaking into a mocking laughter. "So, that weakling taught you swordplay, huh?" he said, as he took a giant flail forth, and begun to swing it around. "Well, then, let's see if the student can outperform the master!"

Right then, KC dashed at him. With his red sword, he made a swing horizontally at the knight's left thigh, whilst the blue sword was slashed vertically towards the knight. However, the knight merely lifted his flail so that the chain on it rotated around the blue blade, trapping it, but the red sword struck home. "Yes! Now I got you!"

As soon as KC said that, the red sword burst into flames, and the blue sword began freezing the chain. "Ah, so that was your plan. Not too bad, I must say. However…" As the knight spoke, he was raising his fist over his head. "This leaves you defenceless!" Right then, he slammed his fist straight into KC's skull, sending him flying a few feet away.

"Gnh…" KC coughed up blood; the impact was quite hard. "Damn… Guess I got careless." he said, as he got up again. "But not this time! This time, I'll definitely-" Before he had an opportunity to finish talking, the knight had gotten right next to him, and slammed his fist straight into KC's stomach, again sending him flying. "Guh… It… it hurts…" KC muttered, as he attempted to stand up, but a metallic boot stomped his stomach down, preventing him from moving.

"Foolish boy!" the knight said, as he continually stomped KC repeatedly. "I was planning to train you to become my subordinate, and yet you attack me for something as petty as friendship! You have to learn your place in the world; the strong prosper, and the weak fade away!" Just before he was about to stomp KC again, something struck him, creating an explosion, sending him flying away from KC.

"You leave my friend alone!" As it turned out, Nampu and Krystal had arrived at just the right moment, with Krystal holding a bow and arrow at the ready. "Nampu, get KC, quick!"

Nodding, Nampu broke into an excellent run towards KC, but suddenly, the knight stood up, and began dashing head-on at Nampu. "Well, the thicker they are…" Nampu smirked, as he and the knight got closer to colliding with each other, when suddenly, Nampu jumped in the air, planted his hands on the knight's shoulder, and pushed him into the ground, landing perfectly behind him. "The easier they are to get falling!" Then, he managed to get over to KC. "Don't worry, kid, you're going to be alright…"

Just then, the sound of a gun cocking was heard, and Nampu froze. The knight was aiming two guns at both of them, as he chuckled. "Now, little girl, you'll do your friends a favour if you stay still. I'll blast them to hell if I feel anything strike me, or if they make any movement whatsoever!"

Krystal frowned, as her bow was strung and aimed at the knight. She couldn't risk the knight shooting KC and Nampu, so she was completely unable to assist them in any way. "Damnit…" she muttered, as she reluctantly lowered her bow.

"Hey, if you've drawn a pistol, are ya gonna use it?"

The new voice surprised everyone, as their gazes were drawn towards the ivory ship, where Zugai was standing next to the railing. The knight growled as he saw the newcomer. "What business is that of you?!"

Zugai looked at the knight, and smirked. "A pistol is used for action, not threats." He said casually, as he cracked his knuckles. "Name's-"

Suddenly, a gunshot rang through the air, and a terrified shriek came from Krystal, as Zugai's body suddenly collapsed on deck. The knight had aimed one of his pistols at Zugai, and shot him squarely in the head. "I know how to use a pistol. Thank you for reminding me." Then, he looked back at KC, who was of course shocked at seeing the murder, and Nampu, who seemed unnaturally calm. "One of you can join that arrogant fool in hell!"

"Ow… that wasn't nice! You shot me! In the head, as well!"

Again, everyone's gaze was directed to the ship, where Zugai was now standing again, alive and well, holding his head. "Hey, tell me next time you fire that thing at me."

"How… you should be dead!" Again, the knight fired a shot at Zugai, but this time, Zugai didn't even flinch. This gave Nampu ample time to grab KC and run back to Krystal.

"I'm telling you, Wicked Knight, you probably shouldn't have done that." Nampu sighed, just as he passed by the knight. Ignoring him, the knight eyed Zugai, who had now jumped ashore.

"You're not… entirely human, are you kid?" the knight asked, as he approached Zugai. "You've eaten a Devil Fruit, haven't you?"

Zugai looked at the knight, and nodded. "I ate the Hone Hone no Mi, so I'm a bone-man!" he said, as he reached for his labrys.

"I see…" the knight nodded, as he now stood right in front of Zugai. "Obviously, you must have increased the density of your bones to the point that it would be impossible for a bullet to penetrate your skull. Am I wrong?" As Zugai shook his head, the knight laughed. "You know, kid, I find you more favourable than the Magic Swordsman back there. The kid was a pushover, but you… Oh, I can see potential lying ahead of you! What do you say? Throw away that axe, and serve me, The Wicked Knight, Kishikiyoi!"

Zugai looked at the knight with a narrowed gaze, before looking over at KC, who Krystal and Nampu had heaved to his legs. "Yeah, he's a kid." he said bluntly, as he pulled out the axe, and held it before the knight. "Yeah, he might be a pushover." he added, as he dropped it to the ground, looking neutrally over at KC, who seemed angered by his choice of words.

"Ah, wise choice." the knight chuckled, as he prepared to turn around, when he felt a hand around his right thigh. "What the-"

"However…" Zugai continued, as he pulled the leg a little bit, looking a little more laid-back now. "He's in training. When he gets stronger, he'll have mastered Santoryu, and the Sword of Light. And then, he won't be some kid anymore… he'll truly be the Magic Swordsman, as part of my crew!" Then, all of a sudden, with a mighty tug, he ripped out The Wicked Knight's femur, right out of the leg, without a single scratch, but with a flesh-tearing sound effect.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHH?!?!?!?!" Both Krystal and KC were spooked beyond belief at the sight of this, both of them collapsing on the ground, whilst Nampu suddenly broke into laughter. "How can you think this is funny?! He tore a bone from a living human's body!" Krystal yelled at Nampu, who continued laughing.

"But that's his power! Not only can Zugai increase and decrease the density of anyone's bones, but he can also remove bones from anyone's skeleton without causing major injuries, besides paralysis! How do you think he defeated those pirates six years ago?" Nampu said between laughing fits, which Krystal could not honestly believe. However, KC was far too absorbed in watching Zugai in action.

"That… is… SO COOOOOOOL!!!" he yelled, as his eyes glittered with stars of awe.

The knight, now lacking anything holding his right leg up, collapsed on his knees, glancing back at Zugai, who was now twirling his femur like it was a walking cane. "How did you…"

"Say, knight, ever hear a bell ring?" Zugai said playfully, as he slammed the bone into the knight's helm with all his might, causing it to vibrate heavily, producing a beautiful gong.

As the knight tried to stop the vibration, Zugai dropped the femur, and slouched over, as he reached for his back. Then, he suddenly pulled his own spine straight out of his own body, and twisted it like a whip. "Irakei!" Suddenly, he lashed the spine at the knight's bad leg, causing him to yell in agony. "Without any bones, you have nothing to defend everything else inside your body!" Again and again, Zugai lashed his spine at the leg, before finally retracting the spine into his body.

"Gnh… the pain…" The Wicked Knight was now lying on his back, his leg sporting injuries from the whipping, and his head aching from the involuntary ringing. "Guh… I'll get you soon…"

"Hey, did you know that the femur is the hardest bone in the human body?" Zugai's voice spoke out, as the knight looked at a building; the same one KC had jumped off before. Now, Zugai was standing on it, holding the femur at the ready. "Let's see if you've drunk your milk!" Then, he leapt off the building, ready to strike the downed knight.

KC was ecstatic. "This guy's incredible…" he muttered, as he suddenly pumped his fist in the air. "GO, ZUGAI! KICK HIS ASS!"

"MOMOGACHAN!!!" With that, just as Zugai crashed into the ground, he slammed the femur straight into the knight's chest, actually shattering the black armour around his body, accompanied by a yell of pain, before the knight blacked out. The battle was won.

"Yeah, you got him!" KC cheered, as he was jumping up and down in the air. "The knight is down, the Wicked Knight is defeated! That was AWESOME!" Both Krystal and Nampu looked at KC and smiled, before they looked at Zugai, who planted the femur, which surprisingly hadn't shattered, back where it belonged, before looking over at Nampu.

"Well, that's that, I suppose. We should get going." He said, as he retrieved his axe, before jumping back on the ship. "You coming, Nampu, or do you REALLY want me to behead you?"

With a shocked "meep" from Nampu, he jumped aboard the ship as well, as Krystal and KC walked up to them. "You're leaving already?" Krystal asked, as she felt the surface of the ship a little.

"Well, we don't have anything else to do here, and I got someone to look for. Thanks for the food, and have a good day!" Zugai said casually, as he prepared to weigh anchor, when suddenly, someone clearing his throat caught his attention.

"Did you forget about someone?" KC said, as he pointed his thumb at his chest. "You're seriously not going to back out of your strategy, Zugai? I'm coming with you!"

Krystal looked at KC with a shocked expression. "Really?!" She was in disbelief; just some time ago, KC had refused Zugai's offer, but now, after having his life saved, he was actually willing to join him? "KC… Then count me in as well!" Krystal pointed her own thumb at her chest, with a serious expression. "Someone has to take care of you guys, so I might as well!"

Zugai glanced over at Nampu, who was nodding excitedly, before giving out a chuckle. "Well, if you insist." he said, as he walked to the railing, and held out his hand with a smile. "Welcome aboard the Howling Moon, ship of Captain Zugai Hibiware!"

---------------------

Meanwhile, on the mountain, a man was spying on the happenings at the harbour with a pair of binoculars. "Zugai Hibiware… Who'd think that The Wicked Knight would face defeat? I'll have to report this… I'm pretty sure I'll see him again sometime." With a smirk, the man sprouted wings, and flew off the island unnoticed.

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**Crew Members:**

**Zugai Hibiware – **Captain/Shipwright/Blacksmith

**Nampu Kiyasui – **First Mate

**KC Boom – **Swordsman

**Krystal Gem – **Sniper

**A/N: **So, we've finally completed an arc! I hope you enjoyed it, just as much as I enjoyed writing it. So, who will be the next crewmember? Find out in the next chapter! So, just remember to review!

**YolkaEd**


	4. A Bountiful Experience

**A/N: **Might as well get this out of the way; thanks for all the submissions, as I am now nearly drowning in them! XP Well, that's apparently the price for creating a story like this. Remember, it's possible to submit villain ideas as well, but remember; there's a possibility that I may not include your character, just because there was a better candidate at the moment. So, take no offense if that happens. Now, let's get eggin'!

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Bountiful Experiences!**

**The Boy Who Walked the Sea**

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"And parry!" A few days had passed since KC and Krystal had joined Zugai's crew, and the Howling Moon was now sailing smoothly towards its next destination. However, since none of the crewmembers were fluent in navigation, Zugai had decided to leave it up to fate, which both Nampu and KC had agreed with, to Krystal's dismay.

Now, KC was practicing his swordsmanship against Zugai, who was more than content to let his own body be used as a punching bag, as he wasn't very keen on using Honehakaisha against a kid. While this was going on, Nampu was showing Krystal around the ship.

"I still can't believe that it's made entirely out of bone!" Krystal said in awe, as she felt the rough, yet still smooth surface of Howling Moon. Nampu merely chuckled.

"Well, that's Zugai for you; always finding various uses for bones. He made his axe, this ship, heck, I bet he could even make you a pretty sweet bow out of bone!" he replied, as he looked towards the horizon.

Krystal looked at Nampu for a bit, before looking at KC and Zugai sparring. "No thanks. It'd probably be better if he just stuck to fixing the ship with bones. Because I'm gonna find every single bow-type in the world, and letting someone build one for me doesn't seem like the right action." she said, before she turned 180 degrees around. "Well, the boys will get hungry soon, so I'll see if I can't make some grub!" Then, she headed for the kitchen.

"Try not to make too much of a mess, Krystal! I cleaned it this morning!" Nampu called after her, before he turned to face the duo in combat. "Zugai… you've really outdone yourself this time. Who'd have thought that you'd recruit two crewmembers on the same day? The only thing left is a bounty on your head, and WHAM! We're a full-fledged pirate crew! But I seriously doubt that would happen in such a short time…"

Just as he said "time", something suddenly smacked into the back of his skull, sending him flying straight at the sparring duo, which unfortunately put him right between an incoming, bone-hardened punch from Zugai, and a block with the falcato's flat side from KC, thus smashing his face into the flat surface, shocking both combatants.

"You… don't think we killed him?" KC asked in a worried tone, as Nampu slowly begun falling to the ground.

"Nah, he's made of sterner stuff. But he'll definitely need some first-aid." Zugai replied, as Nampu comically lost consciousness.

-------------------

"IDIOTS!!!" A whole lot of punches could be heard near the Howling Moon, as Krystal had just beat up Zugai and KC for nearly killing Nampu (even though both you and I know that it was just for comedic timing). "Man, I knew pitting you two against each other would lead to catastrophe."

"B-but, you don't understand, Krystal!" KC said in defense, as he held the massive bump on his head. "He just came flying in between us, honest! I don't know what he was doing, but it wasn't due to Zugai's training!"

Zugai nodded, as he was literally holding his jawbone in his gloved hand. "E's ight, u now!" he said, before putting the jawbone back where it belonged. "Nampu was sent flying by this package that came out of nowhere." Just then, he handed Krystal a small package, but it was more of an envelope.

"What kind of package is this?" Krystal sighed, before she opened the envelope, only to find a newspaper inside of it. In curiosity, she opened it, and began to read from it. "Hey, wait a sec… On Annai Island, East Blue, Marine Captain Kishikiyoi, who has in recent times adopted the nickname The Wicked Knight, was defeated by a stranger using a bone-shaped club."

Both KC and Zugai quickly ran over to Krystal, as Nampu, who had been lying on the floor this whole time, slowly woke up. "Nggh… what happened?"

"Eyewitnesses has identified the stranger as Zugai Hibiware, captaining a ship that is as white as the club he used to strike down the Marine officer. Emergency measures have been put against him and his pirate crew, but they left the island before they could be apprehended, so be aware; the Howling Moon is on the loose." Krystal shook her head in confusion, as she folded the newspaper together. "Strange, the only eyewitness to our battle against the knight was Sean, and he'd never sell us out to anyone."

"Well, you never know." Zugai said mildly, as he sat down besides the railing. "He might have been forced to do it. I'm just a little upset because people keep calling this crew a pirate crew. I mean, I've stated clearly that this is a-"

"POSTERS!" Silence flew over the deck, as Nampu was now holding four pieces of paper in his hands, and by the looks of it, he was ecstatic. "Zugai! I guess you've been put in your place! Take a look at this!" At that moment, he slammed all posters down on the ground, so the rest of the gang could see.

The first one showcased Nampu after having shoved the knight to the ground, smiling cockily as he glanced behind him. Below the picture, it read "Unpredictable Storm" Nampu Kiyasui, 17 000 000 Beri".

The second one showed Krystal holding her bow and arrow at the ready, presumably when she was contemplating to shoot the knight or not when he held Nampu and KC at gunpoint. Below the picture, it read "The Explosive Archer" Krystal Gem, 19 000 000 Beri".

The third one showed KC pointing his red-glowing falcata at someone, which they presumed was the knight, whilst he grinned mischievously, the red glow giving his face a shade of eeriness. Below the picture, it read "The Magic Swordsman" KC Boom, 22 000 000 Beri".

The final picture was by far the most intimidating one; it showed Zugai holding his own spine like a whip, whilst he was slouching over, glancing straight at the camera, which gave his eyes a demonic feel about them. Below the picture, it read "Demon's Orthopedic" Zugai Hibiware, 25 000 000 Beri".

"Well, I'll be damned; that went sooner than expected." Krystal said, as she was holding her poster, before giving a sigh. "But I look so horrible in this picture! Why couldn't it have been more casual?"

"Wow! This is just awesome!" KC was holding his poster like a kid who just found the one toy he had been saving up money for weeks to buy, jumping around with an aura of giddiness around him. "And my bounty's second highest! That's just too awesome!"

"Well, well, Zugai, what do you say now?" Nampu chuckled, as he held his poster between his right index and middle finger. "Now you can't deny that we're officially wanted by the World Government; dead or alive, as they say."

Zugai said nothing, as he only stared at his own bounty poster. It was as if he was studying the demonic look his photographic self was giving off. Then, all of a sudden, he laughed. "You just need the final word every time we have a discussion of sorts, Nampu? Fine, I give, we're a pirate crew from now on!"

Upon hearing this, Nampu exploded with joy, as he began dancing around the deck with KC, which led to Krystal sighing, as she muttered "Boys…" before heading towards the railing to gaze upon the horizon. "Now that we're wanted, we have to be on the lookout for bounty hunters and Marines, as well as choose docking points on islands more carefully, and-"

At that moment, she dropped her mouth in shock. Then, she rubbed her eyes in bewilderment, before looking again. "No way, it can't be…" Then, she turned over to the guys. "Hey, there's someone running on water over there!"

Immediately, four pairs of eyes looked at where Krystal was referring to, and wouldn't you know it; someone was actually running on the water! Upon closer inspection, they saw that the water-runner had dark brown, spiky hair, matching his eye color, and a black headband going across his forehead with a white drawing of an arrow crossing the left eye socket of a skull drawn on it. He was also wearing a short-sleeved orange jacket which was unbuttoned, exposing his chest and abs, as well as a pair of blue cargo shorts and sandals.

However, what really caught their attention about him was not only the fact that he was running on the water; he was being chased by a giant eel-like creature! "What the hell is THAT?!" Nampu yelled in panic, as he pointed at the eel.

"The Lord of the Coast?!" Krystal was holding her hand over her mouth, as she got a better look of the sea creature. "No way… that breed of Sea King only exists near Fuschia Island! What is it doing so far from its habitat?"

"Whatever the case, we can't just sit here and watch him get eaten alive." Zugai sighed, before looking over at KC. "Hey, got any moves that can help?" he asked, completely forgetting that he DID have a sniper onboard his crew, annoying Krystal a little.

"Well, I got one, but I don't know- Oh, what the hell, I'll try!" Then, KC stepped on the railing, as he held one of his falcatas with both hands horizontally above the shoulder of his sword arm. "Let's see… how did it go again?" he muttered, as the sword suddenly caught fire. "Ah, yes! Kaenho Shaki Pondo Hou!" Then, he swung the falcata in a circular fashion, releasing the fire in the sword as a projectile spiraling towards the Sea King, striking it dead on, which sent it flying away at once.

"Woah." Nampu looked from KC to the fallen Sea King and then back again. "D-did you do that?" he asked KC, who only grinned sheepishly, as he rubbed his head in embarrassment.

Just as the Sea King was defeated, the man running on the water stopped, and looked from the ship to the monster, and then back again. "Hey, you saved me! Thanks a bunch!" However, as soon as he said those words, he immediately disappeared under the water.

"You guys don't think that… he might not be able to swim?" Krystal asked out of the blue, as she observed the bubbles emerging from underneath.

All she got was a collective "no", before Nampu dived into the water to retrieve the man who just drowned.

-------------------

"Thanks a bunch!" Nampu had successfully fished the man out of the water, as both of them were now being warmed by the heat of KC's fire sword power. "For a moment there, I thought I was gonna become Sea King chow. Say, you wouldn't happen to have any food for a starving artist, would you?" he said, looking at Zugai, who was examining Honehakaisha.

"Well, you're in bad luck, buddy; we only have food enough for our crewmembers. Somehow, food reserves have dwindled over the past few days…" Zugai replied, as he gave KC a quick glare.

"Oh, it can't be that much of a problem." the man said, as he reached out a hand to Zugai. "Name's Jin. Jinketsu Namura. And yours?"

Zugai gave the hand a brief look, before grabbing it. "I'm Zugai Hibiware, and these are my crewmembers; Nampu Kiyasui, KC Boom and Krystal Gem. Together, we're a pirate crew that has a total of… 83 000 000 Beri on our heads!" he said, putting great emphasis on the bounty part, earning him a quick jab from Krystal and a glare from Nampu.

"Oh, so you're pirates!" Jin nodded, as he quickly got back up. "And if you're looking for some food, I can show you where to find some!"

Zugai blinked in response. "Eh… first, I'd like to know how you managed to run across water." he said calmly, not wanting to cause any commotion.

"Oh, that?" Jin replied, as he looked at his feet. "Well, I'm a Devil Fruit user, since I ate the Mizu Mizu no Mi. And I wasn't really walking; I was surfing on my own water's waves, just so I could see how far I could get. But then that Sea King showed up, and chased me for, what, six hours? I'm just surprised I didn't spontaneously drop dead!"

Nampu looked at Jin curiously. "If you were chased… Then, maybe you know of an island somewhere?" he asked, earning him a glance from Jin.

"Well, duh, of course!" he replied, giving a cocky grin. "Navigation's my main game, so since you saved me, I'll take you to the island I live on so you can find a chef! Now, show me that wheel, people!"

As Zugai and KC quickly showed Jin way to the steering wheel, Krystal shook her head, and looked over at Nampu. "Are we just gonna let this guy take us to some remote island?"

Nampu, in turn, looked over at Krystal, and gave her a shrug. "Well, if I know Zugai right, he'll have that Jin in our crew by the time we've found a chef for our crew."

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**A/N: **Well, there you have it; the next candidate for crew mate! I hope that **Alter Shead **doesn't mind the little adjustments I did to his character Jin, seeing as his hair wouldn't show if he was wearing a bandana, and the whole "surfing" thing. With this in mind, I bid you _adieu._

**YolkaEd**


	5. Megtapos Family part 1

**A/N: **Alright, gotta get this outta the way; this arc is the one I like to call "Foreshadowing Extravaganza"! If you don't know why I like to call it this, then you'll figure it out by the third chapter of this arc, if not the next. So, let's get crackin'!

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Terror of the Megtapos Family part 1**

**The "Boy" with the Crescent Dagger**

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"Get him! Don't let that bastard escape!" Several guards were running through a building, guns loaded, searching for a thief who had snuck into their base. "Bring him to me alive, but only if the consequences allow it!"

Said thief was now not inside the building, but rather outside it, holding a small piece of paper in his hands. He was wearing a dark jacket, which covered a quite loose T-shirt, along with matching jeans, held up by a belt that revealed a small sheath that housed a dagger. A loose black hat was also mounted on his head, which had a few strands of bright red hair falling from underneath it, going across his yellowish-green eyes, which he wiped away in annoyance. "Finally… the map to the Grand Line!" he said, as he gasped for air, folding the paper, before hiding it in his jacket. "Now, all I need is some provisions, and I'm set to find One Piece!" However, before he could gloat more in his victory, he heard some guards shout, and disappeared into the bushes.

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"We're here!" Howling Moon was now docked at a rocky shore on an island none of Zugai's crewmembers had seen before. Jin was the first to jump ship, looking at the island with a gleeful smile. "I just knew we'd get here eventually!"

Nampu looked over the island with a curious look, before glancing over at Jin. "So, you said that this island's called Ajito Island?" he asked, as he got a good look at the scenery; a lush, green forest was visible right in front of them, but aside from that, the coastline was nothing more than rock upon rock. "It doesn't seem to be that inhabited."

"Well, it doesn't have to be." Zugai replied, as he jumped off as well, landing next to Jin. "All that matters is that we find a chef here. But first, we need to pick out two who can watch over Howling Moon whilst we search for someone to fill that role." Zugai then looked at Nampu, KC and Krystal. "Well… how about Nampu and Krystal staying here, whilst I, Jin and KC find a chef?" he said, after having thought about it for a while

KC reeled back in shock for a bit, before regaining his composure, clearing his throat a little. "Well, if you insist." Then, he looked over at Krystal. "Don't worry, Krys, I'll be back soon. You keep your sweet face out of trouble!" Then, he jumped off shore, and walked alongside Jin and Zugai, who ventured into the forest.

Krystal giggled, and waved her hand towards KC. "The same goes for you, cutie!" Though KC didn't respond to her flirt, she didn't care whatsoever. Sighing, she slouched against the wall, and looked to the sky.

"You two really like each other, don't you?" Nampu's voice and sudden guess startled Krystal, as she stumbled away from her crewmate.

"Wha- how'd you- you couldn't-" Krystal was stuttering; Nampu had caught her spot-on. Finally, she calmed down, as she looked to the ground. "Well… maybe. He really doesn't show it that much, but he really cares for me. If I only could muster enough courage to tell him how I felt, then…" She looked at Nampu, who had walked over to the railing, to gaze out to sea. "It's kinda obvious, isn't it?"

Nampu chuckled in response. "Look, even though I'm gay, it doesn't mean that I can't pick up signs. You just tell him how you feel, and show no regrets!"

Krystal smiled weakly, before it faded. "It's not that easy. He's always busy practicing his swordsmanship, so I can't really socialize with him that way, but at the same time, I can't just take away his training sessions; after all, it's his dream to master Santoryu, and I fully respect that, but…" She looked back at Nampu, and smiled weakly again. "Sorry, I went ahead and began rambling."

Nampu chuckled again, as he leaned against the railing, looking through his bag. "Say, Nampu? Do you have a dream of sorts?" Krystal asked, which Nampu responded with a neutral glance.

"Huh. I haven't really thought of that." Nampu replied, as he continued rummaging his bag. "But if I was to say something from the get-go, then it'd be to make sure that my buddy fulfills his dream, no matter the consequences. Even if I have to give my life for that cause, then I'd at least die happy."

Krystal narrowed her eyes once Nampu said that. Was he really serious? How could anyone die happy before they had achieved their true goals? And Nampu didn't even have a true goal; it was just to get Zugai to fulfill his own goal. However, her train of thought was interrupted by a couple of gunshots.

"Hn?" Nampu suddenly stood up, as he looked over the railing, to see three men running after a boy, who was clutching his shoulder, which seemingly was bleeding. "Huh. Someone seems to be in trouble. Just wait here, Krystal, I'll deal with it." With that, Nampu pulled an iron pipe out of his bag, before jumping off deck.

"H-hey, wait!" Krystal quickly got up as well, only to see Nampu calmly walk towards the running people, who were seemingly blind to his advancement. "I should probably stand at the ready, in case…" With that, Krystal pulled out an arrow, and aimed it at the three men with her bow, ready to fire at any moment's notice.

As the boy began running out of breath, Nampu suddenly walked past him, blocking the guards from approaching him. "Hey, hey, why are you chasing a boy with guns? You really need to learn some manners." he said, as he twirled the pipe like a cane.

The three men stopped before Nampu, and growled visibly. They were wearing some sort of feudal armor, but only one of them was wearing a helmet. "Move aside, chump!" the helmet-wearing man said in a angry tone. "That lad stole something of value to us, and we want it back!"

Nampu looked at the boy, who was now on his knees, heaving for breath, whilst his shoulder bled. Frowning, Nampu turned to face the boss. "You didn't have to harm him. You could have just, I don't know, apprehended him and taken back what he took?"

The boss frowned, as he removed the gauntlet on his right hand. "I tried, and look what that cheeky bastard did." Nampu stared at the boss' now exposed hand; it was missing a middle finger, and the wound was fresh.

"Ouch." Nampu sighed, as he shook his head, before turning to face the boy. "It's not nice to steal from others, nor is it nice to chop of their fingers! You should be ashamed of yourself." he said, as he waved his index finger.

At that moment, the boy smirked, and grabbed Nampu's hand. "But boss, I took that map just for you! I was hoping for some appreciation, but I guess I was mistaken!" he said, as Nampu looked at him with a confused look.

"What?! Look, kid, I think you might be a little delirious with that wound, but-"

"So, you're the kid's boss, huh?" Nampu, hearing the commander's voice, turned to face him, as he saw he had taken out a naginata. "You can't assume that saving that kid's hide will save him! First, I'll deal with you!" Suddenly, the commander swung the naginata at Nampu, who only barely managed to block it with the pipe.

"Hey, you've got it wrong, I'm not-" Suddenly, the commander swung it at him again, and Nampu was forced to duck in order to avoid it. "Ergh… I'm not going to persuade you otherwise, it seems." he sighed, as he suddenly pulled a small bag from his bag. "Then let's dance, Commy!" Suddenly, he threw the bag to the ground, creating a cloud composed of sand, as the bag had been filled with sand beforehand.

"Gnh…" Commy was forced to hold his hand in front of his eyes so that the sand wouldn't blind him too much. "You two; go after that kid. I'm taking out this queer little chump!" he said, but as soon as he had said that, he felt something hard hit him in his crotch, as he slouched over, looking up at Nampu, who had slammed his pipe right between his legs.

"Who are you to judge my sexuality?" Nampu yelled, as he spun around Commy in order to strike him from behind with the pipe, but the commander easily grabbed the pipe with his right hand.

"Oh, so you're swingin' down the other lane, huh?" Commy chuckled, as he began bending the pipe. "Usually, people are more open about which lane they're swingin' down, but you seemed to be a straight one. Doesn't matter; no one has bested me yet, no matter what kind of man they have been!"

Nampu smirked, as the pipe had now been bent completely around. "You're not completely open for possibilities, are you, Commy?" he said, as he suddenly fished something out of his bag, not letting go of the pipe. "Like, for instance, someone struck a weak spot… like HERE!" At that moment, he swiped a piece of paper across Commy's face, creating a cut over his nose.

"OW!" Commy held his face in pain, accidentally letting go of the pipe. "Little brat! Using pipes, sand and paper as weaponry… You don't even have a battle plan! How can you hope to win?!" At that moment, Commy was about to- "AND WOULD YOU STOP CALLING ME COMMY?! MY NAME IS KEMONO!"

Right, as I said, Kemono was about to swing the naginata at Nampu, but the more agile pirate easily swung around him again, holding the pipe against his throat. "You've really walked straight into my trap!" he said cockily, as he pressed it against Kemono. "Always be prepared for anything!"

Kemono's eyes widened in shock. "A trap?!" He struggled to remove the pipe from his throat, but it had been bent to such a perfect degree that he couldn't get a good grip on it. "Don't tell me he planned this before we began fighting?! Men, change of plans! Kill this guy at once!"

At once, the two men following Kemono aimed their rifles at Nampu, but suddenly, the ground around them exploded, sending them flying away. "Wha-" As Kemono tried to free himself, he began running out of breath. "So, you're gonna kill me? Quite heartless, considering you're helping out a thief."

Nampu shrugged at this remark. "What do I know about heartlessness? I'm a pirate. But, since I don't like dirtying my hands…" With a few swift movements, Kemono's helmet was removed, he was freed from the pipe, and BONK! He fell to the ground, having been knocked out cold from a strike with the pipe. "And there we go; one Commy down!"

Nampu looked behind him to see Krystal waving at him from the ship, as he gave her a thumbs-up, due to her arrow saving his gut from rifles. "Now, about you…" he said, as he looked down at the boy, who, if you still haven't figured this out, was the same boy from earlier.

"Well, sorry about making them fight you, but man, you do fight well! My name's Chris, so what's yours?" he said, as he got to his feet, still holding his shoulder.

Nampu sighed, as he looked at Chris' shoulder. "Look, kid, before I tell you anything, you need to have a look at your shoulder, and then, I need to see if I can't find my captain, so he can figure out what to do about you." he said, as he looked towards the forest.

"Captain?" Chris said, as he shook his head, chuckling a little. "If he went into the forest, there's no way that you'd be able to find him. The Megtapos Family would see to that."

Nampu looked curiously at Chris, and blinked. "The… Megtapos Family?"

"What, you don't know them?" Chris said in surprise, before laughing a little. "They're a mobster group, and "Commy" over there is one of their elite guards. If there were eyewitnesses here, I'd say you'd be on their hit-list by now!"

While shocked about hearing of a mobster group, Nampu looked unnaturally calm, but blinked his eyes a few times. _This boy… is it just me, or does he remind me of a…_

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**A/N: **The characters are still being introduced! A big shout-out must go out to **SeeNoEvil121 **for the submission of the character Chrisanthia "Chris" Hopkins. Also, sorry for not having the most fulfilling chapter in the world, but the arc has just begun, so anything can happen from here on out!

**YolkaEd**


	6. Megtapos Family part 2

**A/N: **Well, not much to say here, so let's cut to the chase!

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Terror of the Megtapos Family part 2**

**The Might of The Elite Four**

**---------------**

"Come again?" Nampu scratched his head, as he was now sitting against the railing, eyeing Chris who was sitting on the opposite side, his shoulder being bandaged by Krystal. "This mob group does what?"

Chris rolled his eyes, before wincing at the pain surging through his shoulder. "I told you; the Megtapos Family is a major face in the underground crime syndicate that has arisen in East Blue since the death of the Second Pirate King. They got control over several small cities all around, and they're guarded by a group of guards called The Elite Four, of which Commy was part of."

Nampu nodded, as he remembered the battle he had against Kemono. "Then I suppose that he's the weakest of the four. What're the other three like?" he asked, tilting his head to the left.

Chris blinked a few times, before snapping his fingers. "Well, I only know the name of one of them, but one of them has an insanely good eye for sniping, and is guarding the Megtapos Castle from the highest tower. Another one is a master beast-tamer, and supposedly is so light that even water isn't an obstruction. Lastly, the strongest of the four, is a man called-"

"Would you sit still?" Krystal sighed, as she tightened the bandage around Chris' shoulder, making him squeal a very girly yell of pain. "Heh, what kind of pain-laded scream is that supposed to be?"

"Shut up!" Chris winced, as he rubbed his sore shoulder, before glancing at Nampu. "Well, I'm fairly certain that if your captain went into the woods, he's bound to be captured by the Elite Four… or at least, by the remaining three."

Nampu nodded again, before standing up. "Well, then, as acting voice of reason in Zugai's absence, I'm asking you, Krystal, to be led by Chris to find this castle, seeing as Chris already knows it's location!" This order prompted both Chris and Krystal to give out a collective "WHAT?!"

Chris smacked his hand against his forehead, as he groaned. "And what makes you think I'd want to go there again?" he snapped, as he began to stand up.

Right then, Nampu leaned close to his face, and grinned maliciously, intimidating Chris far more than the Megtapos Family's guard. "Because I, as acting voice of reason in Zugai's absence, got your shoulder fixed for you, and can easily reverse it for you." The sound of metal hitting wood prompted Chris to take a quick glance down, to see that the iron pipe was in Nampu's hand. "Capiche?"

Looking back up at Nampu, he frowned a bit. "So? It's not like I'm afraid of dying or anything." As he suspected, Nampu didn't bother attacking him, as he instead sat down and pouted. "However, since you really need a guide, I guess I could lead the way for Miss Archer here." he said, looking over at Krystal, who was grumbling.

"But if that's the case, then why aren't you coming, Nampu?" Krystal bursted out, glaring at her first mate, who was tapping his chin in response.

"Obviously, since A: I've already punked out one of those Elite Four guys, B: If Chris gets himself hurt again, I can't do jack to help him, and C: You-know-who might be in trouble." After saying point C, Nampu smiled once he saw Krystal look down to the ground, hiding the fact that she was blushing, which Chris didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, well… Fine, I'll go." Krystal sighed, and with that, she had jumped back on land, making a run for the woods. "Hurry up, Chris, or I'll get lost!"

Chris nodded, as he was about to follow Krystal, when Nampu grabbed his arm for a moment. "Hey, what's the big idea?" Chris grunted, as he tried to break free.

"You're… really not a boy, are ya?" Nampu asked bluntly, which made Chris suddenly turn around to face Nampu.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about!" Chris snapped, as he batted Nampu's hand away from his arm. "Do I look like a girl to ya?" And with a mutter that somehow could be interpreted as a surly "queer", Chris jumped off deck and followed Krystal.

Nampu crossed his arms, and shook his head. "Well, someone's got to be on their period." he muttered, as he sat down on deck and observed the pair leave. "Just because I'm gay doesn't mean I'm completely clueless."

----------------------

The pair was now traversing through the woods, Krystal occasionally getting her hair stuck in branches, which would prompt a giggle from Chris, who always waited for her. "Man, you really have a bad hair day!" he laughed, after Krystal had removed her hair from a branch for the fifteenth time. "It sure must suck to have long hair like that, right?"

Krystal replied by sticking her tongue out at Chris. "Man, of all the gay first mates my captain had to pick from, he had to pick the smartass of the bunch…" she muttered to herself, before noticing a clearing in the woods. "Hey, Chris, over there! I see light ahead!" With that, she broke into a run.

"No, you idiot, don't!" Suddenly, Chris leapt at Krystal's legs, which made the sniper fall to the ground along with him, just before they reached the clearing. However, in doing this, Chris' hat fell off his head, which prompted a wave of hair to fall from his head, revealing that Chris actually had bright red hair that went all the way to his, or should we say, HER, shoulders. "Damn!" Quickly, before Krystal could get back up and face Chris, she immediately grabbed her hat, and stuffed her hair inside of it, so that her gender remained hidden from all but the audience.

"Chris, what the hell?" Krystal was now standing with her arms crossed over Chris, who was still on the ground, tapping her foot in annoyance. "When we finally find a way out of the forest, you stop me from going there! Care to explain that?"

Chris growled, as she pointed towards the ground behind Krystal, revealing what appeared to be a syringe stuck in the ground. "If you'd gone out of the woods, you'd be shot."

Krystal looked behind her, and discovered the syringe, before picking it up, as she examined what was left of the substance within. "Wait a minute… I've read about this! It's a paralysis virus, commonly used in poison darts! If this had hit any of us…"

Chris nodded, as she looked at the ground the needle of the syringe had been embedded in, where it was shown that the grass around it had withered and dissolved into dust. "You'd go completely numb, or if you weren't a human, you'd instantly die."

Krystal shuddered, as she immediately dropped the syringe. "But how could anyone have sniped this at us? We're miles from any buildings, and according to Jin, this island was supposed to only have one village, which doesn't include savages!"

Chris tilted her head as Krystal spoke Jin's name. "How did you… never mind." Then, she carefully crawled towards the clearing, without getting close to the sunrays. "Yo, Miss Archer; take a look, and see what Jin didn't tell ya."

Krystal looked out the clearing, and widened her eyes; from the clearing, a massive fortress was visible, built within a massive crater. "It's HUGE!" Krystal chimed, as her eyes went up a winding tower of the fortress. That was when she saw him.

He, like Kemono, was wearing feudal armor, but instead of a helmet, he was wearing a fedora and sunglasses, and in his hands was a sniper rifle, which he was loading. "Is… is that the guy who shot at us?"

Chris nodded. "He's one of the Elite Four." she sighed, as she moved her eyes downward, noticing something which caught her interest. "And by the looks of it, he got your friends."

Krystal looked down as well, and gasped. In the crater, at the base of the fortress, two crosses were lodged into the ground, and what was noteworthy about them was that Zugai and KC were hanging from them, tied up and bruised. "KC!" Immediately, Krystal tried to run out of the woods, but Chris stopped her, just in time for yet another syringe to fly into the ground near Krystal's feet.

"Idiot!" she hissed between her teeth, holding her hat in frustration. "That guy knows where we are, and he's got a perfect sight on both us and your friends! Do you REALLY want to see them die?"

Krystal sighed. Of course she didn't want that, but if she was just to stand around and do nothing, who knew what the sniper would think of doing. That was when an idea struck her. "Wait here for a second." she said, as she suddenly ran back into the woods.

Chris groaned, as she sat down, looking up at the sniper again, who was now even having the courtesy of waving down at her. Knowing that he'd shoot her if she didn't make any movements, she sighed, as she waved back.

And just like that, Krystal returned, holding her bow and an arrow which had some bark strung to it. "Okay, here goes!" Immediately, without Chris' consent, she aimed the arrow at the sniper, and fired it, much to Chris' surprise.

"Hey, what are you-" Chris began, but a hushing sound from Krystal stopped her from finishing her sentence. Then, she looked back at the sniper, who had seen the arrow hit the roof next to him, as he was now reading the bark attached to the arrow. "What did you-"

"Well, I figured that he'd probably be interested in a duel with me; pistols at dawn style, right?" Krystal replied with a smile, which again shocked Chris.

_HOW'S SHE GONNA WIN A DUEL AGAINST A PROFESSIONAL ASSASSIN?!?! SHE'S GONNA GET KILLED! _Chris thought violently, as she held her head in shock. However, once she heard a thud, she looked back to see that the sniper was now on ground level, checking the two prisoners hanging from the crosses. And with that, Krystal ran out of hiding. "H-hey, wait up!" Chris yelled after her, before following her.

The sniper saw both of them approaching, and held his hat to his chest as they caught up with him, performing a bow. "Nice to meet'cha, mates!" he said in an Australian accent, before placing his hat back on his head. "The name's Shageki, sniper extraordinaire. So, which one of you lasses requested a duel with me?"

Chris cringed at how openly polite their opponent was, and shook her head. "Sheesh, crazed gunmen really are crazy when it comes to introductions." she muttered under her breath, which the sniper apparently caught on to.

"Hey, look, mate, no need to get all spiffy." Shageki said in a calm tone, though his Australian accent was slowly causing Krystal to lose seriousness over the issue. "I'm an assassin, not some crazed gunman! There's a perfectly fine difference between the two; one's a job, and the other's a mental sickness!" At that moment, Krystal just about exploded in laughter, which weirded both Shageki and Chris out. "Oi, lass, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" Krystal said, as she slowly regained her composure. "Well, in any case, I was the one who challenged you." she added, as she held out her bow before Shageki. "If I win, then you're to let those two go!"

Shageki nodded, as he put his sniper rifle on his shoulder. "Ah, but if you lose, then I'll hang you and your friend up there as well." he said, as he fished something out of his pocket, before throwing it at Krystal.

"Eh?" Krystal quickly grabbed the incoming object, or objects, as they turned out to be syringes, like the one they had seen earlier. "What's with these?"

"Even though I'm an assassin, I hate spilling anyone's blood in an honest duel." Shageki stated, as he loaded a syringe into his rifle. "So, I use syringes meant for paralysis in the duel, and you're expected to use 'em as well. Only the syringes; if you use any other weapon than the bow and the syringes…" His hand trailed down to his waist, where a machete was visible. "I'll sadly have to cut you down to size before hanging you to dry. Understand?"

Though a little intimidated, Krystal swallowed up her fear, and nodded. "Yeah, I understand…" However, her eyes narrowed, as she sighed. _This guy means business, and yet, he's honestly fair… what kind of assassin is he?_

Chris had, at this point, walked up to Zugai and KC, who seemed to be knocked out cold. "Wonder why they haven't busted out of the chains yet…" she wondered, as she felt the chains wrapped around Zugai's body, before instantly pulling away. "Seastone… They're Devil Fruit users."

Shageki smirked, as he aimed the rifle at Krystal, who had now taken a syringe in her bow, and aimed it at her adversary. "Alright, mate; first one hit loses, and winner fulfils the conditions they put up! Ready…" His hand was at the trigger, as Krystal stiffened every muscle in her body, ready to leap at any moments notice. "GO!" A gunshot suddenly rang through the air, as a massive array of birds flew into the sky.

--------------

Inside the fortress, someone was sitting in a chair, reading the very newspaper that revealed the bounties of Zugai's crew, focused on the article about The Wicked Knight. "Pheh. Serves scum like him right, for messing with forces stronger than he is. And yet…" His eyesight drifted off to another page, where a different article was listed, reading "MASSIVE FEMALE UPROAR ON SEISABETSU ISLAND! MEN DRIVEN AWAY IN PANIC!"

"Pah… and yet, others rise up to stardom… Damn Dokusai. Soon, with the necessary funding from Tyches, I, Count Megtapos XIV, will rule all of East Blue!" he shouted, as he threw the newspaper into a nearby fireplace, burning both it and the bounty posters, which he had failed to read.

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**A/N: **Right, sorry for lack of daily updates, but things happen and such. And just so I get the message out, I literally took the Elite Four name from Pokemon, and based Shageki on the Sniper from Team Fortress 2. Now, you may shoot me for being an unoriginal writer. XP

**YolkaEd**


	7. Megtapos Family part 3

**A/N: **This chapter is combat-heavy, so I am expecting mucho constructive criticism on how to improve myself in that area, if you think it's not action-packed or dynamic or anything of the sorts. So, let's get… um… fjordin'?

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Terror of the Megtapos Family part 3**

**The Honorable Assassin, Shageki**

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Count Megtapos observed a billboard hanging on his wall, where a multitude of wanted posters were hanging, some long since expired, others still hanging, yet the one he was focused on pictured a shadow holding a pair of scythes, and a litter of bodies surrounded him. The name and bounty was ripped away, though the nickname of the man was still visible; "Steel Scythe".

"Hm. He is running late. A pity, too... our family name's honor will not be tarnished by follies." Then, he lit a decent-sized cigar, and looked into the roof, until a gunshot rang through the room. "Gnh… Shageki again. These visitors are frequent nowadays."

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Outside, Chris was now taking cover behind Zugai's body, looking at the intense battle before her. "A friendly duel, my ass! What kind of gunman is that guy?!"

Shageki was, as expected from an expert marksman, keeping a steady assault against Krystal; however, his shots seemed to be coming out more rapidly than expected from a sniper rifle, which put Krystal in a tight spot.

Krystal, as you may have guessed, had no time to even fire a single syringe at her adversary, since Shageki was pulling them out faster than she could, so all she was capable of was running and dodging. "Damn! What kind of agility is that?! He's not even taking a break to catch his breath!"

However, as she had said that, Shageki suddenly stopped firing, and sat down on the ground, waving his fedora in front of his face. "Dang, it's very hot today, mates! What say we take a break to catch our breaths, eh?" This resulted in both Chris and Krystal collapsing humorously to the ground in disbelief.

"AND JUST WHY ARE YOU TAKING A BREAK NOW?!?!" both of them yelled at Shageki, who seemed quite passive. "Wait, now's my chance!" Immediately, Krystal reached for a syringe, strung up her bow, and fired a single shot. "Gotcha!"

Well, that was what she WOULD have said, had Shageki not countered the incoming syringe by shooting a single shot at it with his own, rendering both needles useless. "Quite resourceful, ain't ya, lass?" he said with a chuckle, as he got back up. "Well, you'd best get runnin', because I'm not holding up any more!" Then, he proceeded to fire another hail of syringes.

Krystal, still shocked over Shageki's sudden recovery, instinctively ran away from the storm, hiding behind the corner of the fort. "Man, this guy is a true sniper! If I could only use my explosives once, then I'd have the upper hand…" she sighed, as she peeked out from the corner, to see that Shageki was cautiously walking towards the corner, gun at the ready. "Well, it's a cheap tactic, but it's my best shot." she sighed, as she pulled out a syringe, and aimed it at the corner.

The suspense was breathtakingly painful, as she had no idea when Shageki would pop out from behind the corner, but she knew that eventually, he'd show himself, and then, she'd plug him down. Eventually, she saw the barrel of the rifle point out from behind the corner, and she prepared to release the syringe…

Until the barrel actually bent around the corner, aimed straight at Krystal! "What the hell?!" she yelled, as she quickly jumped out of the way, in time for the rifle to shoot a syringe at empty air. "Since when could a gun do that?!"

"Since I made it, mate." Shageki's voice called, as the gun bent back into its original shape, before Shageki stepped from behind the corner. "This rifle's equipped with a Bender Barrel, which means that if anyone's trying a sneak attack from behind a corner, I can take 'em out without having to risk my hide."

Krystal blinked a few times, before snapping out of her listening stupor. "NOW!" Quickly, she fired the syringe she had at the string of her bow at Shageki, but he merely sidestepped it, making it only graze the skin of his arm.

Shageki looked at the newly caused wound, before sighing. "Well, now that's just great. It wasn't a direct hit, so we're still dueling, but now the poison's gonna spread slowly through my body, so I'll be paralyzed no matter the outcome. Well, only one way to even the odds." Suddenly, another shot rang through the air, but this had been so quick that Krystal couldn't even see the shot, or that Shageki actually touched the rifle in order to shoot. However, now she had a similar wound on her own arm.

"Now we're… even?" Krystal said with a annoyed smirk on her face, as she got up, bow at the ready.

Shageki nodded with a smile of his own, as he aimed his rifle at Krystal. "Now we're even, mate." And with that, both of them started firing a massive assault of syringes at each other, and the strange thing about it was that if the syringes didn't graze their skin or hit each other, the two snipers would grab them in midair and immediately fire them back at their opponent.

On the other side of the fortress, Chris was now looking at KC and Zugai, wondering how she could be of any help in their current situation. "Maybe I could… well, it's my best shot, so why the hell not?" Then, she took the dagger residing in the holster of her belt, and began trying to pick the lock of Zugai's chain. "C'mon, please work…" No result. Sighing, she continued, unaware of the battle's intensity not too far from her.

Back at the site of the battle, both of the combatants were now covered in several cuts, as a result of numerous syringes grazing their skin. Krystal, on one hand, was heaving for her breath. "So… anyone scored a direct hit yet?" she sighed, as she felt the poison beginning to take effect.

Shageki shook his head in response, as he tilted his head behind him. Then, he suddenly broke into a run, back around the corner, leaving Krystal by herself. "Huh… wonder why he left so suddenly…" However, her train of thought was swiftly interrupted by a scream coming from around the corner. "Oh sh- CHRIS!" Quickly, she ran around the corner as well, expecting the worst.

When she made the turn around the corner, she saw that Chris was on her back, looking up at Shageki, who was holding his machete in his hand, looking down at Chris. "Hey, don't you lay a finger on him!" she yelled, as she aimed her bow at Shageki, who seemed to be oblivious of her presence.

Shageki then walked closer to Chris, who tried to scoot away, but her back his the pole Zugai was hanging on, so she couldn't get too far from Shageki, who was now crouching to see her eye to eye. "Um… hi?" she tried, as she eyed the machete.

Suddenly, with a swift movement, the machete was now in the air, and Chris moved her eyes to the left to see where he had slashed; he had only cut off the bandage Krystal had tied around it, leaving no bodily damage behind. "That wound seems a little serious, mate; low-rate bandaging ain't gonna cut it. I'll take care of that." he said in a calm tone, as he dropped the machete to the ground, and pulled out a first-aid kit, before proceeding to stitch up the shoulder.

Krystal was bewildered, but not to the point where she lowered her aim. "Why… why would he help him…?" she mused, as she still held the bow at the ready, but her aim was faltering, probably due to the poison. Soon, Shageki was done, and stood up again, looking down at Chris.

"Y'know, for a moment, I seriously thought you'd shoot me whilst my back was turned." he said, as he turned around to face Krystal. "Guess not all pirates are unfair in a battle. That's reassuring." he added with a smile, as he reached for his rifle again. "But, at this point, none of us are gonna pull through as the victor, so here's a plan." Quickly, he pulled out a small gun, and fired a shot at Krystal's legs.

However, instead of creating a bullet wound, Krystal's feet were covered in a gooey substance that prevented her from moving. "Hey, what's the big-" Krystal began, but she was shocked to see Shageki repeat the process on his own feet, locking himself in place.

"As much as I love a good game of cat 'n' mouse, we're only gonna end up a pair of stiffs if we keep on running, so here's the plan; one shot, winner takes all. Deal?" And with that, he aimed his rifle at Krystal, who was still holding her bow at the ready.

"Yeah, deal." she replied with a smile. Then, as Krystal released her grip on the syringe, sending it flying at Shageki, he fired his final shot at her. The result was that Shageki's syringe struck Krystal's shoulder, only moments after her syringe hit his neck.

Shageki, feeling the syringe in his neck, suddenly laughed. "Well, what do ya know… you're not half bad, lass. I give." he said in a cheerful tone, as he fished out a set of keys from his pocket, which he threw behind him so that Chris could grab it. "Now don't go cheating in something else, okay? And by the way, the paralysis lasts for an hour." With that, he collapsed onto the ground, as the substance around his and Krystal's feet melted into the ground.

Krystal smiled, as she fell to her knees, pulling out the syringe in her shoulder, before looking at Chris. "Well, you just get the guys out of their chains, and then we'll get back to Nampu." she said, as she lay down on the ground, the battle having taken its toll on her.

Chris looked from Shageki to Krystal, and then back again. "Man, of all the fool-hardy crews I've met…" she sighed, before she looked at the number of the locks, and found their corresponding keys, which led to her releasing both Zugai and KC from their chains. Once that was done with, both of them seemed to somehow regain their strength.

"Okay, that sniper's gonna get it! Jin, KC, you flank him, and I'll-" Zugai began, but stopped once he saw the current location. Then, he looked around and saw Chris staring at him in confusion, and both Shageki and Krystal on the ground. "Hey, Krystal! What happened?!"

"Relax, okay?" Chris said, as she held her hand up in defense. "She's just paralyzed; she'll be up and running within an hour. My name's Chris, and you are…?" she asked, as she noted Zugai's monstrous labrys and KC's falcatas.

"I'm Zugai. Zugai Hibiware." Zugai replied, as he looked over at the fortress. "His name is KC Boom." he added, as he began walking away.

"H-hey, where are you going?" Chris asked, as she realized where Zugai was headed; he was going inside the fortress! "That's not right! You're supposed to go back to the ship, weren't you?!"

KC looked with a worried look at Krystal, before turning his gaze at Chris. "We can't go back yet. Jin was taken inside of the fortress, and Zugai's dead set on making him his navigator. So, as much as I hate to leave Krystal out here, we gotta go inside!" Then, he ran after Zugai, leaving Chris by herself.

"Jin this and Jin that…" she muttered, as she fished out something from underneath her hat, which turned out to be a dagger that curved around her fist when she held it. "If they're not prepared for surprises, they're not gonna make it out of there alive. Damn idiots." With that, after picking up the dagger she tried to pick the locks with earlier, she ran after Zugai and KC, entering the very same building she had escaped from earlier.

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**A/N: **Alrighties, we've got down two Elite Four members, and we got two more! So, to help the tension a little, let's play a game! Based on Chris' assumptions in Chapter 6, I want you to try to guess the powers of the final two members (but not names, I want that to be a surprise). So, anything else? Well, if you want, try submitting some villains as well; making all-original (and some not too original) villains can tear on a man.

**YolkaEd**


	8. Megtapos Family part 4

**A/N: **So, yeah, thanks for the awesome-sauce reviews, people! There's… probably not much I can add to that. Maybe I should mention that if a chapter takes longer than usual, then don't assume that I've given up on this story (because I certainly will NOT), but rather assume that I'm **A**: Suffering from writers block, **B**: Busy with school work, or **C**: Busy with something else. With that, let's get something-that-ends-with-"ing"-that-I-abbreviate-into-"in'"-in'!

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Terror of the Megtapos Family part 4**

**Facing the Final Guardians!**

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Zugai, Chris and KC were standing near the corner of the entrance into the fortress, attempting to figure out some kind of strategy so that they could break Jin out of his imprisonment. "How do we even know that he's locked up?" Chris asked, as she looked around the corner to see two guards armed with pistols standing there.

"I don't know." Zugai replied, as he looked at KC and nodded. "But if they took Jin in there, then we have to break him out. You two wait here." Then, he walked out of hiding, much to Chris' surprise.

"What are you doing, you idiot?" she called, but not so loud that the guards could hear her, but before she could get a response, KC grabbed her arm and pulled her as far from the guards viewpoint as possible.

Once Zugai was not too far from the guards, they immediately pointed their guns at him. "Hey, where do you think you are?! Get lost, kid!" However, despite this threat, Zugai kept on advancing towards them. "Damn brat! Fire!" Then, both of them fired several rounds at Zugai, but he didn't even flinch from the hail of gunfire, much to their shock. "How did he…"

Before their musings could be answered, Zugai was suddenly standing next to them, and grabbed both of their left legs, before pulling their femurs out of their bodies, making them collapse on the ground. "I need these for a while, thank you." Then, with two swift swings, both guards were knocked unconscious.

At that moment, KC came running from around the corner, followed closely by Chris, who seemed quite flustered once she saw Zugai holding two bones in his hands. "You… but they… and the… just what are you?" she asked in bewilderment, but Zugai seemed to ignore her.

"So, how do we get these doors open…" Zugai mused, as he looked at the door the guards had been guarding; it was solid metal, and only lacking some gears to make a pretty obvious joke. "Well, let's see if this works." Then, Zugai promptly took the clubs in his hands, and slammed them against the door repeatedly, but with no visible result. "Damn, these doors are tougher than I thought!"

"Hey, let me try!" KC spoke up, as he held one of his swords against the metal door. Then, the blade glowed blue, as the door slowly, but surely became encased in a thin layer of ice. "Well, try whacking it now!"

Zugai nodded, as he dropped the femurs for a brief moment, and drew out Honehakaisha, before swinging it with all his might against the frozen door, making the door explode in a cascade of ice. Again, Chris was shocked to see this unusual display of power. "Incredible…" she gasped, as she collapsed to the ground in shock. "Both of you are Devil Fruit users, right?"

KC looked over at Chris, and nodded with a smile. "You bet! I ate the Juken Juken no Mi, and he ate the Hone Hone no Mi!" Then, after Zugai picked up the femurs, both of them rushed into the building, as Chris finally got over the initial shock, before rushing inside as well.

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Inside Count Megtapos' room, several alarms began wailing, as a screen on a wall showed Zugai, KC and Chris running inside of the building, weapons at the ready. "What do you know… the rat shows himself once again, I see. Well, seeing as both Kemono and Shageki are busy outside…" Then, he pressed a button not too far from the screen. "Osae Kikai, we have some unwanted visitors. Take care of them, will you?" Then, he released the button, and looked back at the wanted posters. "Where IS that man?!"

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The halls of the fortress were quite empty, especially considering that Chris recently had stolen something of great value from there. "What happened to all the guards?" Zugai noted, as the trio headed through several corridors without any interference. "You'd think that they'd care more about hiring low-level grunts than four elite soldiers."

"Yeah, imagine that…" Chris sighed, as she was perfectly aware of why there were no guards inside the fortress; because they were all outside looking for her as they were speaking. _I sure hope that he won't run into any trouble while guarding the ship…_

"Say, Chris?" KC asked, as they rounded another corner. "What were those other Elite Four types like?" Chris tapped her chin once she heard the question, before making a "I got it" face.

"Well, I told Miss Archer and that other guy that one of them is a master at beast taming, and can also walk across water without any problems. And lastly, that other guy's name was-" Again, before she could reveal the name of the last member, a scream of total fear rang through the halls.

"Hey, that sounded like a girl! This family really likes kidnappings, it seems." Zugai said, as he picked up the pace. "With any luck, we can recruit her together with Jin!"

KC sighed, as he followed Zugai through the deserted corridors. "C'mon, Chris, we're gonna have to make sure that Zugai doesn't get into trouble!" Then, Chris was left standing alone.

"Man, does everyone have a habit of just leaving me to my own devices?" she asked herself, as she looked after the pair running ahead. Then, when she was about to follow them, she noticed a corridor that strayed from the path they were taking. "Well, they won't run into any problems at first." Then, she took a left, and ran down the other corridor instead.

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"KC, keep up, or I'm leaving you behind!" Zugai called, as KC was now running right behind him, striving to keep up the pace.

"I'm right here, so don't get lost or anything!" KC replied, as the pair kept running, neither of them realizing that Chris wasn't behind them. Soon, they came across a fork in the road, both leading into darker corridors. "Damn, not one of these! I take the right, you take the left, okay?" he said, as he broke off from Zugai, running down the right corridor.

"Just don't get into too much trouble!" Zugai called after him, before running down the left corridor, which seemed to only feature total darkness, without any kind of lighting at all.

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As Chris ran down her corridor, she was looking around every corner for guards, knowing that if she was spotted, all hell would break loose. "Who knows; they might return once they find no trace of me." However, after searching every single corner she could find in that corridor, she had found absolutely no one looking for her.

"Huh. Guess the Megtapos Family is full of idiots!" she sighed, as she leaned against a wall in frustration. "And God knows what those other guys have gotten themselves into…" Before she got ready to run back out of the corridor, she noticed another hallway leading to a bright-glowing room. "Hm?"

Peeking around that corner, she suddenly went from semi-curious to ecstatic in one fell movement; right before her was a giant, opened vault, revealing tons and tons of riches. "No guards, open treasury, it's almost too good to be true!" she yelled excitedly, as she ran towards the vault, not noticing the shadow behind her…

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Zugai trek through the corridors were just as uneventful as Chris', which was driving him to boredom. "Oh, come on, how big a fortress do you need without any form of guards to protect it? If I only could find Jin, or one of the elite guards, I don't care, just let SOMETHING happen!"

Just then, he heard someone talking to themselves. "Huh. Wonder who that could…" Peeking behind a corner, he could discern a shadow not too far from him, who suddenly went into another corridor. "Now, I think I found someone. Maybe I can pry info out of him?" he mused, as he slowly followed the stranger…

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"Hello?" KC called, as he walked through an equally empty hallway lacking any form of guards. "Are there any ladies in need of rescuing here?" No answer. Sighing, he leant against a wall, and looked at the roof. "Man, if only Krystal was here…" Then, another scream rang through the corridor, which caught KC's attention. "I think I'm getting closer!" he said excitedly, before he ran down the hallway.

When he finally exited the corridor, he saw something neither of his partners had found yet; a pool filled with crocodiles, who were snapping at a blonde woman wearing a kimono hanging for dear life onto a rope, in order to avoid being eaten. "Oh, won't someone save me?" she called, as she had caught eye of KC. "Oh, you have to help me! Count Megtapos left me here to die, and I need help!"

KC nodded, as he began sprinting towards the pool, both swords at the ready. "Just hang on, miss!" he yelled, as he slashed both swords horizontally, one of them creating a stream of flames cutting the rope, and one creating a bridge of ice that caught the woman, which allowed her to slip along it down to KC.

"Oh, thank you so much!" she said in joy, as she grabbed KC in a big hug. "I don't know WHAT I'd do if you hadn't come along to save me!"

KC, not entirely comfortable in his current position, pried himself away from the woman, wiping dust off his clothes. "Don't mention it. Now, I think it'd be best if you get out of here, before you get in trouble." Then, he turned away from the lady, and was about to exit the room, until a steel door slid firmly into the exit, preventing anyone from leaving. "What the?"

Then, he heard someone laughing, and turned around to face the woman, who was now looking into the ground. "Well, that is truly unfortunate, isn't it? Now, pirate, you have to face… ME!" Then, she suddenly ripped the kimono from her body, revealing an extremely tight body-suit underneath it, and also revealing a pair of blades protruding from her arms, which shocked KC thoroughly.

"What in the- How did you do that?!" KC asked, as he saw that the crocodiles were crawling out of the water. "H-hey, lady, the crocodiles! Watch out for the-" However, he was even more shocked to see that the crocodiles were flocking around the woman, but instead of eating her, they were acting like cats.

"Ah, these little babies wouldn't hurt a fly… but they make exceptions for pirates." Then, she turned to face KC, now grinning demonically. "I am the second strongest of the Elite Four, guardians of the Megtapos Family! My name is Osae Kikai, beast-tamer surpreme! Your head shall reside at the end of my bed, and… and…" She suddenly droned off, holding her chin in curiosity. "Damn, what other lines can I use?"

Just then, KC sighed. "You mean that you set up an elaborate scheme to lure someone in here to save you, just so you could forget what you're supposed to say?" When no response came from Osae, he slapped his forehead. "Right, screw this, I'm outta here." Then, he faced the door, and held one of his swords against it.

"HEY, WAIT, YOU CAN'T LEAVE!" Osae suddenly yelled, which made KC tilt his head so that he could see her; obviously losing her patience, but not looking like it. "Do you have ANY idea how long I had to hang from that rope in order to get some idiot in here?! THIRTY MINUTES! My time is precious, and cannot be wasted on nonsense! So, you start fighting me, or I'll hold my breath!" Then, she clasped her mouth shut, intending to make KC fight her by feeling sorry for her.

"Man, you sure are pathetic." KC bluntly stated, making Osae collapse on the ground, scaring her crocodiles away. "Look, my captain's waiting for me, so I'm leaving." Then, the sword glowed red, as the door began melting down. "See you around!" he said, as he prepared to run off, when suddenly, Osae stood before him, arms crossed.

"Nu-uh! No way! Definitely not!" she yelled, as she began waving her arms around in frustration. "You're gonna fight me, and I'll take your sorry, arrogant ass over to the Count himself, so he'll kill you for disrespecting me!"

Sighing, KC readied his blades, glaring at the woman. _Am I dealing with a prima-donna or what?_

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Chris was now standing inside the vault, and there was a whole lot of treasure standing before her. "I'm in heaven!" she yelled, as she promptly jumped straight into a pile of gold, hugging the treasure between her arms. "I knew helping those guys would benefit me! I'm rich, I tell ya!" However, as she spoke, she didn't notice a shadow raising a club over her head. It wasn't until she saw the reflection of a club in the gold that she got back to her senses, and promptly turned around, only to look Zugai straight in the eyes.

"Chris?!" Zugai blurted out, lowering the femur club down. "What are you doing here? And how did you get here in such a short time?" The questions were, in actuality, asked by both persons, neither having any idea that the corridor Zugai walked through intersected with the one Chris had taken earlier.

"Well, now that you're here, you can help me get this treasure out of here!" Chris said, as she returned her gaze back to the gold before her. "This'll be enough to get me a HUGE ship, and-"

"Look, Chris, we don't have time for this!" Zugai moaned, as he sat down. "We really need to find Jin, and quick as well!"

"You rang?" At that moment, both Zugai's and Chris' gazes were drawn over to the vault door, which had been slammed shut, and right in front of them was Jin.

"Jin!" Zugai said happily, as he quickly got up. "Man, I've been looking for you! Did you get kidnapped, or something?"

"Not really, no." Jin said casually, as he looked over at Chris. "But if you'll excuse me, this guy's got something that I want." Chris narrowed her eyes once Jin said this, and quickly got in a fighting stance.

"Hey, hey, wait! Chris, what's going on here?" Zugai asked, as he got away from the two people.

"I've been trying to tell you guys all along…" Chris muttered, as she glanced at Jin. "This man, Jinketsu Namura, is the final member of the Elite Four!"

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**A/N: **Well, there it was! Hope you enjoyed, and I assure you that everything has a rational explanation, so please don't send me e-mail bombs out of anger, ho'kay? Thank yous! :D

**YolkaEd**


	9. Megtapos Family part 5

**A/N: **Right, without anything interesting to speak about, let's roll on the chapter!

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Terror of the Megtapos Family part 5**

**A Conspiracy Revealed, and the Blade of Mist**

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Nampu was calmly observing the woods from the safety of Howling Moon. It had been roughly thirty minutes since Krystal and Chris had headed into the woods to see what had become of Jin, Zugai and KC. "Ergh, I'm bored!" he suddenly called out, as he slouched back down on deck.

"Hey, shut it, queer!" another voice called, which prompted Nampu to turn his head in annoyance, revealing Kemono bound with a rope to the mast. "I'm trying to get out of here, and you being bored ain't helping me much!"

"Oh, be quiet, Commy!" Nampu replied back, as he turned back to face the woods again. "Man, I sure hope they'll be alright…"

"Hah! I honestly doubt that." Kemono said snidely, which made Nampu turn around to face him again. "If Shageki won't get 'em at the castle's doorstep, then Osae Kikai will take care of them inside! And of course, I can't seem to forget the Count's favourite subject, namely-"

"Oh, that is VERY interesting. Tell me more of the count." The unknown voice prompted both Kemono and Nampu to look upwards, to see an unknown person standing on the mast, his arms crossed. As Kemono immediately opened his mouth in shock, Nampu observed the figure; it was a man, probably around his mid-twenties, with a clean-shaven face, with long, black hair tied in a single ponytail hanging loosely from his neck. He was also wearing a black cloak, covering most of his body.

"Hey, who are you?" Nampu called, as the man only looked down at the two. Then, he leapt off the mast, and landed right in front of Nampu, who just realized that the stranger towered two heads over him.

"Call me Etels. It's as good a name as any." he replied in a blunt tone, before he walked towards the front of the ship. "Pay me no heed; I was just off to visit the count." Then, he leapt off the ship, and walked towards the woods.

"Etels… what a strange person." Nampu said to himself, before he looked over at Kemono, who was stuttering in fear. "Oh, what is it now?"

"Th-tha-that was…" Kemono began, as he began panicking, as if he was claustrophobic and had been locked in a closet. "That was… that was… Oh my god, it was him!" Then, he promptly passed out, actually foaming at the mouth.

"Eew…" Nampu shuddered, as he looked back at Etels, who was now entering the woods. "Why would someone like Commy get all scared because of one guy?"

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Zugai looked over at both Chris and Jin, trying to figure out the current situation; Jin, who he was trying to get to join his crew, was really working for the guy who he thought had kidnapped him in the first place, and somehow, Chris knew him from somewhere.

"So, little rat, care to give me back what you stole?" Jin said snidely, as he took a step forward, to which Chris responded with by drawing the dagger by her waist.

"I haven't stolen anything from you, chump." she replied, as she shooed him away a little with the dagger.

"Oh, not necessarily from me, but from someone I work for. Now hand over that map!" Jin said, as his fist became encased in a watery substance.

"I'm not giving this to you even if you could lead me to One Piece in less than five seconds!" Chris snapped back, as she pointed the dagger at Jin.

"I spent just about two months in order to find out where that map was, and I'm not gonna let you swipe my chance away, you little thief!"

"Do you even have any idea how long I spent planning to sneak in here to get the map so I could get to the Grand Line?! Far too long!"

"Like I give a crap! Now give me that map, bag-hat!"

"Over my dead body, you spiky-haired bum-guard!"

_Wow, this seems familiar, somehow… _Zugai thought for a moment, as he cleared his throat, but he failed to catch the attention of the two quarrellers. "Um, excuse me…" Still no reaction. "Um, guys, could you-" No sign of any of them harkening him. "HEY, SHUT UP!" he suddenly snapped, as he slammed Honehakaisha between Chris and Jin.

Both of them just stared at Zugai, who was murmuring something about "bickering binheads". Then, Chris cleared her throat, stepping away from the axe in front of her. "Right, so…" she began, as she looked over at Zugai, who was starting to calm down. "You wanted to say something?"

Zugai nodded, as he looked over at Jin. "Well, explain; why do you need this map?"

Jin cleared his throat as well. "Well, I need it so I can begin drawing out a world map that can even surpass the one drawn by Nami, navigator of the Second Pirate King's crew."

Satisfied with the explanation, Zugai looked over at Chris. "And how did you come to possess the map, then?"

Chris took a piece of paper out of her jacket's pocket, and waved it a little bit. "I got on the island a few days ago, and tried again and again to retrieve the map, until one day, I found a guard in possession of it."

At that moment, Jin reeled back a little. "So… you didn't take it from the Count?"

Chris shook her head in response. "As I said, I found it on a guard. I guess I was just tired from exhaustion after having tried and failed so many times, so I didn't question it."

At that moment, Zugai grabbed the map out of Chris' hand, and took a look at it. "So, a map to the Grand Line is handed out to a low-level grunt? I'd like to see THAT." Then, he promptly grabbed Jin's watery hand, and stuffed the map in it. "There you go; one map."

Though Chris was a little upset, she held it in, until she saw something drip from Jin's hand that wasn't water; true, it was liquefied, but it had a dark coloring to it. "What's that supposed to be?"

Jin blinked, as he looked at the wet piece of paper in his hands. When he opened the map fully, he found it to be a big, inky mess as a result of his wet hand. "It's… a fabrication."

Silence filled the room for some very awkward moments. And when those moments had passed, Zugai suddenly burst out laughing, collapsing into the many coins behind him. "Fabrica- that's the best joke I've ever seen in my life!" he chocked out during his mad laughing, as Chris collapsed to her knees.

"Wha… a fabrication… I've been duped?!" Just then, Chris stood up again, and literally exploded into flames. "I WON'T FORGIVE YOU, YOU DAMNED COUNT!" she yelled in total anger and hate, and trust me, if she had willed it, she'd cuss out Count Megtapos so much that she'd put even the foulest of sailors to shame.

"Gnh… Well, there goes our relationship!" Jin said to himself, as he turned around to face the closed safe door. "If I'm not mistaken, the Count keeps the map in his own possession, and merely tricked us into thinking we had the real thing! I'll have to go up to him and get it myself!" Then, he tried opening the safe door by pushing it, but nothing happened. Then, he tried pulling the door, but no result was yielded. In desperation, he slammed his fists on the door multiple times.

"Eh? What's wrong?" Zugai asked, as he had finally stopped laughing, and looked at Jin's pitiful attempts at opening the door.

"Eh, well…" Jin said with a weak chuckle, as he looked over at Zugai and Chris. "I forgot that this door has a time lock and won't open for 24 hours if closed; that's why we keep it opened all the time."

Again, total silence filled the room, as Zugai and Chris' eyes darkened. Then, they glared daggers at Jin, who instantly became mortified. "WHAT'D YOU SAY?!?! WE'RE LOCKED INSIDE OF THE VAULT?!?!?!" both of them yelled in sheer surprise and frustration, frightening the living crap out of Jin.

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A rain of sparks was spreading all over Osae's room, as she and KC were now violently exchanging blows with one another, Osae putting up one hell of an offense, whilst KC had no true chance of striking any real blows to the prima-donna he was facing. "For a wimp, you're putting up quite a show!" she taunted, to no avail.

_Damn it, she's too aggressive… _KC thought, as he tried to analyze Osae's battle pattern. _There's got to be something I can exploit…_ Then, his eyes widened, and a exclaiming sound escaped his lips, before he suddenly lifted only one blade to block both of her blades.

"Eh? How'd you-" Before the confused Osae could make out her current situation, a blaze of fire shot at her whilst she was dumbfounded, sending her flying into the pool.

"Your erratic swings always worked in a pattern; first four slices alternate between the right and left blade, and the fifth strike is a double strike, before you repeat the process. Not too hard to figure out, actually." KC said bluntly, as he again turned to leave, when he heard rumbling beneath him. "Hm?"

The rumbling underneath him turned out to be the very pool expanding over the floor, as a new door shut down in front of him. "Again?" he sighed, as he put his blade against it once more. But this time, nothing happened. No matter how hard he tried, the blade wouldn't flare up. "What the hell is going on?" he said out loud, as he had to press himself against the wall so that he wouldn't fall into the water.

"The door is made of seastone." an all-too familiar voice said, as KC looked at the center of the water, to see Osae actually standing at the center of the water, but not in the way where she was partially submerged in it; she was actually standing on the water! "A Devil Fruit user such as yourself won't survive if you fall in water, and especially not when I have my beauties by my side!" As she said "beauties", a swarm of crocodiles revealed their snouts, all eying KC hungrily, as they slowly advanced towards him.

"This is REALLY not my day…" KC muttered, as he was dangerously close to the pool, which only kept on advancing, until only a few inches was left between him and the pool. "Ergh… I really hoped it wouldn't come to this." Then, he stabbed one of his swords into the water, and the area around it suddenly froze.

"What?!" Osae yelled, as KC quickly got on the patch of ice, before holding the other blade against it. Suddenly, a blast of what seemed to be smoke shot out from the swords, engulfing the entire room in it. "Damn it! I can't see a thing!" Osae yelled, as she waved her hands around. "It's like a fog!" Then, she took a step forward, only to slip and fall.

When she looked down, she was shocked to see that the entire pool was now frozen over, including her crocodiles. "How is this possible?! And what's with the blasted fog?!"

"The intense heat collided with the extreme coldness, and formed a massive blanket of mist, making it difficult for you to see, but also…" Osae looked everywhere around her to find out where the voice came from, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make out anything, and the cold ice was getting to her.

"It gives me a third edge in combat." As soon as that was said, Osae heard sizzling coming from behind her, and turned around to see a figure in the mist, holding its hands like a cross, both of them holding a blue- and red glowing swords, but there was a sword in its mouth as well.

"Is… is that… you? No, it can't be… how'd you get a third weapon so quickly?!" Osae yelled, as she backed away from the figure, which was advancing on her. Soon, the figure suddenly rushed past her, seemingly not doing anything conspicuous.

"Sagiri!" Suddenly, a gust of wind blew the mist away, as Osae suddenly felt a cross-shaped wound open over her body, as a burst of blood, sparks and snow shot out of it, before she collapsed. Looking behind her, she saw that KC was holding his arms out-stretched, both of the swords ablaze with their respective elements, but in his mouth, there was a grey blade, which slowly faded away along with the mist.

"Impressive…" she muttered, as she coughed up a little blood. "You remind me of… that guy…"

KC looked behind him, and looked at Osae. "Which guy? Who are you talking about?"

Osae snickered, as she let something roll towards KC. "Just some punk… but he had similar… abilities… like yourself." Then, she closed her eyes, the blood loss having knocked her out cold (no pun intended).

KC picked up the object, and shrugged. "Similar… abilities?" he muttered to himself, as he looked at the object. It was a small capsule with a button on it. Pressing it, he saw that the seastone door slid away from its place, letting him exit the room. But before he did, he walked back to Osae, and picked her up. "Leaving her here would just be cruel." he said, as he headed outside.

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**A/N: **Alrighty, hope you enjoyed the chapter, so as usual, comment on it in the review section! As a side note, "Sagiri" is meant as a pun; it's basically a copy of Roronoa Zoro's Oni Giri, but I replaced said attack name with a Japanese word which means "mist", being "Sagiri". Fun, isn't it?

**YolkaEd**


	10. Megtapos Family part 6

**A/N: **Not too much to say. But I did say "Foreshadowing Extravaganza", right? Because the last chapters of this arc will be FILLED with foreboding shades! Let's get rolling.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Terror of the Megtapos Family part 6**

**Separation and Complication**

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Nampu looked towards the forest, which Etels had entered some time ago. "Just what was up with that guy?" he said to himself, as he held his chin in wonder. The black-cloaked man had reminded him of something… but what, he couldn't put his finger on.

"Well, whoever he is, I'm sure he'll stay out of trouble." he sighed, as he looked over at Kemono, who was still knocked out. "Eh, I never cared much for keeping people prisoner, anyway." Then, he walked up to Kemono, and began undoing the ropes.

However, just as he had finished untying the ropes, he was met with a gauntlet slamming into his face, sending him flying across the deck. "OW! Hey, what's the big idea?" he asked in annoyance, as he stood up, to see that Kemono had suddenly woken up, and was now on his feet.

"Hah! The old 'play-dead' trick never fails!" he laughed, as he now had crossed his arms in full confidence, as he looked down at Nampu. "The gay little birdie couldn't keep his beak away from the hunter's bait!" Then, he cackled.

Spitting out some blood, Nampu grimaced. "Yeah, yeah, you got me, now get off the ship, alright?" he said in an annoyed tone, as he wiped a few specks of blood from his mouth.

"What?" Kemono looked puzzled at Nampu; apparently, he had been expecting to make off the ship after beating Nampu into submission, but being given permission to leave seemed a little off. "Oh, wait a minute." he suddenly said, as he chuckled. "I see what you're getting at. You want me to THINK that I can leave, only to take me by surprise moments before I make my escape!"

Nampu gaped at Kemono's naivety. There was only one other man that could possibly be more of a bonehead than this man, and he could make it lighter or heavier, if he wished! "No, no, I'm telling you that you can leave! Just go, and do whatever. I have to watch the ship."

Kemono opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Then, he closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them again, followed by pointing dramatically at Nampu. "Why should I believe you? Pirates are scumbags that never tell the truth, so I should do the opposite of whatever you tell me to do, so I won't fall into a trap!"

Nampu blinked a few times, before slapping his own face in disbelief. _He does have a point, but he should be able to take a hint! _Then, he cleared his throat. "Well, alright, you got me. Go ahead then; you can stay here, if you want."

Just then, Kemono grinned. "You'd LIKE me to do that, wouldn't you? Obviously, since you want me to stay here, that means that you'll have me at a disadvantage, but think again, pirate! I'm outta here!" Then, he ran straight past Nampu, and promptly jumped back on land. "I got a ship on the other side of the island, so I'll take that and leave you idiots here to die!" Then, he was gone.

Nampu promptly sighed. "He's painfully naïve, like a certain captain of mine…" he muttered, as he sat down against the mast. "But what was the deal with that Etels guy?"

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Inside of the prison vault, boredom was beginning to tear at our heroes. Jin was calmly observing the vault door, though with a few bumps on his head. As Zugai was examining the walls of the vault, Chris sat against a wall and examined her dagger.

"Wait! Now I know a way out of here!" Jin suddenly called, bringing a pair of heads to look over at him. "Listen, I just remembered something about the time-lock; it only applies to the inside of the vault! If someone on the outside tries to open it, it will open!"

Zugai nodded, as he examined the door. "But why the hell invest in a time-lock that only applies for the inside of a door?" he asked.

"Simple, really." Jin began, as he walked up next to Zugai. "Since many people come here to rob the Count, he figured that locking them inside of here would be more efficient than public executions. I think there's still some bones of former victims left here…"

As he said that, someone screamed. Chris had backed away from a skeletal hand that had popped up right next to her. "How the hell did that get here?" she yelled, as Zugai walked up to it.

"Relax, Chris, the bones are mine." he said calmly, as he picked up the hand, and merged it with the skin of his good hand. "I just wanted to see your face once you found it." he said with a chuckle, which earned him a punch to the chin, though it hurt Chris more than it hurt Zugai.

"If I may…" Jin said with an annoyed tone. "There's also another way of opening the vault door; if we put enough pressure on the door, it will eventually fall off its hinges."

After hearing this, Zugai smirked, and grabbed Honehakaisha. "If that's the case, then let me!" Then, he struck the axe against the vault door, though all it did was creating a gong, not moving the door one bit. "Damn, it's made out of stern stuff. Maybe if I…"

"Hey, I could try." Jin said, as he suddenly grabbed Honehakaisha, but the moment he did, it fell to the ground with a thud, and he was completely unable to lift the axe. "What the hell? How did this thing get so heavy, all of a sudden?" he muttered, before letting go of the big axe.

"It's heavy, isn't it?" Zugai said, as he easily picked up the axe, and hung it on his back. "It's only due to my powers that I can lift this thing, since I reinforced it with so much metal to keep the bones from falling from it."

"Wait…" Chris spoke up, as she inspected the axe. "You made this out of bone? Is that the case with the ship as well?"

Zugai nodded, though he did wonder how Chris knew of Howling Moon. "Well, anyway, we need to find a way out of here. Any more ideas?"

"Well…" Jin began, as he looked at the door. "I could do this!" Then, he delivered a punch aimed straight at the door, as a mighty blast of water augmented the power of the punch, but with no other effect than spilling some water on the ground. "Wait, let me try again!" Then, he spun around, and did a backwards heel kick, sending yet another torrent of water against the door, but still no effect. "Wait, let me do it again!"

As he continued punching and kicking the door, more and more water began spilling on the floor, which Zugai quickly noted. "Hey, Chris, maybe we should get to higher ground before it's too late."

"Yeah, let's." Chris said in complete agreement, as the pair got on a pile of gold, whilst Jin kept on attacking the door.

---------------------

Outside, KC had just put Osae against a wall together with the still- paralyzed Shageki, before he had walked next to Krystal. "Hey, Krystal, you alright?" he said in a worried tone.

Krystal blinked a few times, as the paralysis seemed to wear off on her. "Gnh… KC?" she said groggily, as she looked up at KC, her vision blurred from the poison. "Is that you, KC?"

"Don't worry, Krystal, everything's gonna be fine." KC said in an assuring tone, until he heard a few twigs snap. Not wanting to risk any harm to Krystal, he picked her up, and ran behind a corner, in case it was one of the Megtapos Family's guards.

However, as it turned out, it was no guard. It turned out to be Etels, who was walking straight towards the entrance of the fortress, but before he went in, he looked towards the bodies of Osae and Shageki. "They ought to be in here…" he said to himself, before glancing towards a corner for a brief moment. Then, he entered the fortress.

Just then, KC peeked out from behind the corner, and breathed a sigh of relief. "Alright, coast is clear." Then, he took Krystal's arm and heaved it over his shoulder, helping her getting on her feet. "Just relax, Krystal, I'll get you back to the ship right away."

Krystal groaned a little, before looking at KC with a weak smile. "KC… thanks, sweetie."

Hearing her say this caused KC to blush, but he managed to hide it from her. "Well, let's get back now." Then, he walked towards the woods, carrying Krystal as they went.

Just as KC went into the woods, Shageki quickly stood up, and stretched his arms into the air. "Man, I thought they'd never leave!" he said to himself, as he looked down at Osae. "Man, lass, you look terrible." he said to her, as he picked her up.

"I'll walk it off." she muttered, as she looked after KC and Krystal. "So, we've been thoroughly trounced by some brats. Now what?"

Shageki chuckled, as he looked towards the other side of the woods. "I doubt Jin'll wanna come with us, so I reckon that we oughta get to that boat Kemono was talking about. With any luck, he's prepared it for us."

Osae snuffed, as she looked back at the fortress. "But what about that guy who just walked in the fortress?" she said in an intrigued manner. "You DO know who that was?"

Shageki nodded, as he walked towards the opposite path of where KC and Krystal were headed. "Yeah, but the count doesn't need to know, does he?" he said with a chuckle.

-----------------

Back in the vault, the room was now nearly entirely filled with water, and both Zugai and Chris had stacked all the gold up to the roof, but Jin was still busy with his feeble attempts to bring down the door. "Come on, just one more go…" he muttered, as he prepared to deliver a kick to the door.

"You've been saying that for ten minutes!" Zugai called, as he struggled not to fall into the water. "I'm just surprised that you haven't drowned yet, Jin." he noted, as he looked over at Jin, who was again standing on the water. However, once Zugai had said that, Jin once again fell underneath the water.

"Oh, for the love of…" Chris groaned, as she jumped into the water to get Jin back, when suddenly, the door was violently opened up, and with a mighty tremor, the water-filled room flushed out of the room.

"Hey, woah, who the-" Zugai called, as the rushing water shook the gold he was standing on, sending him falling into the giant flood of water. Most of the gold inside the room was flushed out, along with Jin, Chris and Zugai. Soon, the water stream flushed through a fork in the hallway, sending the water stream flushing in two separate directions.

Zugai struggled to hold his breath in the raging stream, and was about to nearly swallowed a ton of water, when the water began calming down, and when he opened his eyes, he saw only two things; a confined space with a chair at the far end of the room, and Jin, who was holding his head in pain. "What the… who the hell opened the door?" he muttered, as he noted something in his hand; it was Chris' hat. "Chris… where'd he go?" he wondered, as he looked everywhere, but there was no sign of Chris anywhere. "Jin, did you see where Chris went?"

Jin didn't answer. He was looking straight at the chair with a narrowed gaze and clenched fists, as the chair began turning around, revealing an obese man with an expensive fur coat hung lazily over his shoulders, and a very thin moustache was visible via the green color it had, matching his hair color. "So, Jinketsu, you seek something?" he said in a relaxed tone, as he lit a cigar in his mouth.

Zugai looked between the man and Jin, looking quite confused. "Jin, who is that guy?" he asked, but Jin didn't look over at him.

"That man… he is Count Megtapos." was the only reply that escaped Jin's lips, as his fists were covered in water.

----------------------

Chris blinked her eyes a few times, as she held her head in pain. "Gnh… I guess Jin got the door up, after all." she muttered, as she suddenly felt something peculiar; her hair was fully exposed. "My hat! Don't tell me I lost it back there?!" As she was about to turn back to run to her hat, she noticed where she was; she was outside, and surrounded by a litter of gold. "Well, I suppose I could get it later…"

"Your partners are in possession of it." a new voice said, which again made Chris turn her head around to see someone in the soaked doorway. It was Etels once again, who was slowly walking towards Chris, who felt intimidated by looking at him.

"What do you want?" she asked, as she stood in a defensive position, expecting Etels to attack her. Instead, he merely stuffed something in her hand, before turning heel and walking back into the fortress.

"You'll find what you seek there." he muttered, before vanishing into the door. Chris stood there for a while, before looking down at what Etels had stuffed in her hand; it was a roll of plastic bags, and a small note saying "Shigusa Island".

"What I seek…" she muttered, as she looked inside the fortress. "Who the hell is that guy?"

----------------------

**A/N: **Alright, for those of you who have thought that the arc has droned on for far too long, then rest assured, the next chapter is the final in the Megtapos Family Arc. See you next time!

**YolkaEd**


	11. Megtapos Family part 7

**A/N: **Not much to say here, either, other than this chapter being somewhat bloody. So, just enjoy!

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Terror of the Megtapos Family part 7**

**An Invisible Threat**

-------------------------

Zugai looked at the obese man sitting before him and Jin, and blinked his eyes. "He's the guy you worked for?" he asked, as Jin gave a brief nod, his fists still encased in water.

"The very same." he muttered, as he stood up, and cracked his knuckles. "And he's got something I want."

The Count merely scoffed, as he took a small piece of paper from his coat. "You're looking for the map?" he said in a mocking tone, waving his hand around like he was going to auction the paper off. "For what purpose, Jinketsu?"

"I've told you…" Jin muttered, as his arms were now covered in water. "I want to draw a map greater than anyone has ever made, even hers! And for that, I need the map!"

The Count scoffed again, and placed the paper piece inside of his coat again. "Well, you know how it goes; defeat me, and I'll give it to you. Or have you forgotten how you came into my servitude, Jinketsu?"

At that moment, Jin reeled back, as the water around his arms faded away. "No… I do not." he said in a sickened tone, glaring daggers at the bigger man.

Zugai looked at how intimidated Jin seemed by a mere quote, and cleared his throat. "So… you're not getting the map, then?" he asked in a casual tone, to which Jin did not reply. Zugai sighed in response, as he looked over at the Count. "So, if I beat you, you'll give me the map, right?"

As he said that, Jin spun his head to look at Zugai in shock. "Don't do it, he'll most definitely-"

"Why, of course." the Count said in a snide tone, as he removed the cigar from his lips, and breathed out a smoke cloud. "I never go back on my word."

Zugai smirked, as he reached for his axe. "Well, since I've gotten permission…" Then, he dropped Honehakaisha to the ground, and proceeded to crack his knuckles. "I'll kick your ass right away!" Then, he ran towards the still-seated count, reeling back his gloved hand for a punch.

"Heh." Suddenly, the Count pressed a button mounted on his chair, and suddenly, Zugai was sent flying straight into a wall, his hand stuck to it. "Don't think I'd let you throw the first punch, boy!"

Zugai struggled to remove his hand from the wall, but it was thoroughly glued stuck. "Damn it! What's with this wall?" he yelled, as he repeatedly banged on the wall.

"That's the Megtapos Family's secret weapon…" Jin muttered, as he looked over at the count, who had now stood up from his seat, walking towards Zugai's axe. "The Kairoseki Magnet."

"Heh, indeed it is." the Count said in the same tone, as he placed a hand firmly around the axe's handle. "This magnet is designed with Devil Fruit users in mind; due to it being reinforced with Kairoseki, it attracts Devil Fruit users instead of metal. However, in order to work, the victim has to have their powers active."

Zugai quickly shot a look at his gloved hand, and growled. "Damn, for once, I kind of regret having this ability." Then, he began pulling on his own hand, trying to rip it away from the wall.

"Though I do not know what ability you possess, it most definitely has something to do with your hand." the Count said, as he chuckled to himself. Then, he slowly attempted to lift the heavy axe off the ground, but the result of his work was sub-par.

"Hah! If you're trying to lift Honehakaisha, then forget it!" Zugai said in a confident tone, as he still tried to remove his hand from the wall. "The only one who can lift that axe is…" Suddenly, he heard the sound of metal swinging through air, as he turned back to see that the Count was actually holding the axe with both hands. "Me?"

The Count laughed a hearty laugh, as he inspected the axe. "My, the smith who made this weapon is truly a genius; if I weren't wrong, I'd say it's composed entirely out of bone!" Then, he looked over at the helpless Zugai, as he raised the axe. "It's truly a shame that the weapon's owner will meet his demise against it. Ironic, yet not implausible." he muttered, as he prepared a mighty swing against Zugai, that would no doubt kill him.

However, out of nowhere, a foot suddenly made contact with the Count's face, sending him skidding along the ground, saving Zugai's hide. "Don't even think about killing him!" the attacker said, as he got back on his own feet. It was Jin, and he was pissed.

"Jin! Thanks, you saved me!" Zugai said, as he still tried to break free from the wall. "Hey, I'll be busy here for a while, so do you think you could hold that guy off for a moment?"

Jin nodded, before turning to face the Count, who was holding his head in pain. "Damn brat… you really want this map, don't you?" he said, as he got up, and looked at Jin with a calm, yet angered face. "But without your abilities, you're nothing before me!" Then, he ran at Jin, still holding Honehakaisha, and swung it at Jin, but Jin merely sidestepped the blow.

"HA!" Then, Jin quickly slammed his shoulder into the Count, before delivering a flurry of punches and kicks, all of them pushing the Count further away from him, until he crashed into a wall. Then, he grabbed the Count by his hair and threw him into the air, before grabbing him mid air, and slamming his head into the ground.

"Woah…" Zugai said in awe, having completely forgotten about his hand at the moment. "That was pretty cool." he said, as he nodded a few times. Then, he got an idea. "I hate to do this, but right now, I need to break free."

Just then, the Count slowly got back up, glaring at Jin. "You show true fighting spirit, which is just what I seek in a subordinate. And yet you still refuse to serve me?" Then, he lifted Honehakaisha high over him, and prepared to swing it down at Jin. "Then die!"

However, just as he swung, Jin ducked underneath the axe, and took hold of the Count's legs, before swinging him around himself, throwing him back onto his chair, which crashed straight into the plaque of bounty posters. "Now, willing to hand me that map?"

Growling, the Count got back up, and suddenly threw Honehakaisha at Jin like a Frisbee. "It's impossible to defeat me, you arrogant punk! Know your place, and die!"

Jin narrowed his eyes. True, the Count wasn't exactly as powerful as he claimed to be, but the spinning axe took up the entire room, making it impossible for him to dodge it in any way. However, before he was struck by it, it stopped, only mere inches from his face. "Wha…"

Then, he looked up to see Zugai, who had caught the axe in mid-air with only one hand, but another thing he noted was that his left hand was missing. "Zugai, what happened to your…" Before Jin could finish his sentence, Zugai pointed at the wall, where the glove was lying on the ground, along with a skeletal hand inside of it. "WHAT THE?!" he yelled in surprise. "What happened to your hand?!"

"Well, I lost it, but I recovered it. As it turns out, without my powers, it becomes naught but bones." he said in a calm tone, before looking over at the Count. "So, feeling up to giving me that map?"

The Count growled, as he rushed at Zugai. "Never! You won't see me lose any time soon!" Then, he delivered a punch, but the only thing it met was the edge of Honehakaisha, which dug itself into the flesh of his fingers, making him cry out in pain.

Not hesitating for a single moment, Zugai immediately aimed a well-placed blow with the flat side of his axe at the Count's face, which sent him staggering back a few more feet. "And now, the finishing blow!" he yelled, as he dropped the axe, and ran straight towards the Count, delivering a fierce kick aimed at his abdomen, sending the larger man flying back into the wall, but this time, he stayed down.

"Is that it, then?" Jin asked, as he looked from Zugai to the Count, before walking up to the knocked-out man. "Well, I guess I'll just take this, then…" he muttered, as he reached inside the Count's coat, and fished out the small paper piece. "This is it… the map to the Grand Line!"

Zugai smiled, as he heaved his axe back onto his back, before stuffing Chris' hat in his pocket. "Well, now that you got your map, I suppose you'll need to get to the Grand Line and draw a map better than Nami's!" Then, he turned back to the wall, and was just about to pick up his hand.

"Well, I wasn't thinking of going alone, you know." Jin suddenly said, as he stood right next to Zugai, holding out the map for him. "If it's okay with you, I think I'd like to sail with you and your crew, so I can fulfill my dream easier! Deal?"

Zugai looked up at Jin and smiled. "Do you need an answer?" he said with a chuckle, as he picked up his hand, before standing up. "Welcome aboard, then! Now, let's go; Nampu's bound to be wondering what's taking me so long." Then, he walked out of the room, as Jin followed suit.

Just as they left, the Count held his head in pain and groaned. "Little brats… I'll just have to use those fundings Tyches promised me, and then I'll exact my vengeance on those brats! No one disrespects Count Megtapos XIV!" he said out loud, as he slowly got to his feet.

"Really?" a new voice said in a calm tone. "To me, it seems that you've been disrespected to the fullest degree." As the Count looked around to discern where the voice came from, his gaze was suddenly aimed at the doorway, where he saw someone standing.

"Who are you supposed to be, brat? Get lost, before I kill you!" It was at that moment, though, that the unknown person suddenly cast aside the cloak surrounding his body, which made the Count do a double-take. "Wait… no, it can't be… Don't tell me that you're-" He was unable to finish his sentence, as suddenly, the stranger had thrown something right at the Count, which impaled him to the wall. A scythe was now sticking out of his stomach, as he desperately tried not to cough up too much blood.

"I am sorry, Count…" the stranger said, as he retrieved his cloak, hanging it around his body, before looking back at the wounded man. "…but I can't allow you to live any longer." Then, the stranger dashed right at the Count, and ripped the scythe out of his body, nearly splitting the Count's body in half in the process.

The count fell to the ground, gasping for breath, as blood was gushing out of the massive wound on his stomach. "Why…" he gasped, as he coughed up blood. "Why would you… Steel Scythe…" Just then, the stranger took the scythe, and decapitated the Count's head from his body, instantly killing him.

"You need not ask questions, it is as you always say…" the stranger muttered, as the light from the ceiling showed his true face, the face of Etels. "That's what happens when weaklings face forces stronger than themselves."

---------------------------

Chris emerged from the woods, holding several bags filled with riches. "Why would that guy let me take the treasure for myself, anyway?" she muttered, as she got to a smaller dinghy that was anchored not too far from the woods. "But I can't just leave without my hat, now, can I?" she sighed, as she placed the money bags onboard the small boat. "But still, that guy seemed to know what he was talking about, so…"

At that moment, she took a good look at the note that he had given her, before stuffing it into her pocket. "It looks like if I want to know what the hell he was talking about, I'll have to go to Shigusa Island." Then, she climbed aboard the dinghy, and prepared to set sail, when she noticed another vessel leaving the shore, though it wasn't Zugai's ship. "Now who could be onboard there?"

---------------------------------

**Crew Members:**

**Zugai Hibiware – **Captain/Shipwright/Blacksmith

**Nampu Kiyasui – **First Mate

**KC Boom – **Swordsman

**Krystal Gem – **Sniper

**Jinketsu Namura – **Navigator

**A/N: **Yes, this arc has been concluded (and at long last, might I add), and as a result, we may finally move on to other arcs! So, remember, you can also send in applications for villains (and at this point, I practically crave villain applications XP), and I'll see if I can't insert them in the story. So, until next time, I wish you good luck and all that jazz!

**YolkaEd**


	12. Landing at Alcedonia Island!

**A/N: **Right, people, sorry for the lack of updates in recent times, but the network's been acting up around here. Well, enough with that, let's get the show on the road!

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Landing at Alcedonia Island!**

**The Huntress with a Cheating Streak**

------------------------

A few days had passed since the battle against Count Megtapos and the Elite Four, and Howling Moon was now sailing towards its new location. However, something was different about the ivory ship; on the sail, a big Jolly Roger had been painted, with two pairs of crossed bones; however, the bone going vertically behind the skull was in actuality a labrys, and a tuft of hair was covering the left eye socket from view.

"Well, it's finally done!" Nampu sighed, as he admired his handiwork, holding a brush in his hand. "I didn't think I'd get it done so soon, but with that whole Mega-tape incident, I got some time off!" Right behind him was Krystal and Jin, who were also admiring the sail.

"Yeah, that's really good!" Krystal nodded, as she took a quick glance behind her to see KC and Zugai sparring as usual. "Nampu, you never told us that you were handy with a brush, did you?" she asked.

"Well, I'm handy with whatever I can get my hands on." Nampu said calmly, as he inspected the brush for a moment. "Say, Jin? Is it long until we can get to an island?"

Jin shook his head, as he didn't remove his gaze from the sail. "With any luck, we ought to get to Alcedonia Island before dinnertime." Although KC, Krystal and Nampu were a little wary of Jin when Zugai had reemerged from the forest with him and explained what had taken place back at the fortress, they eventually accepted him as their crewmate, especially since they were in dire need of a navigator, even though he had been lying about finding a chef for the crew.

"That's it! Parry, then counter!" Hearing their captain's voice prompted the trio to turn around, where they saw that Zugai was actually using Honehakaisha against KC's falcatas, but they didn't seem too disturbed by it, mainly due to KC requesting Zugai of using it. Just then, Zugai swung the labrys vertically at KC, but the smaller swordsman blocked the strike with one sword, before sending a blast of ice flying at his captain, creating a gap between them.

"Alright…" KC gasped, as he sat down on the deck. "We'll take a break." Ever since he had defeated Osae Kikai using the Sagiri attack, KC had become more determined than ever to master Santoryu, if only using an incorporeal blade to create the effect. Also, the man with abilities similar to his, as Osae had referred to, had sparked a curiosity in KC. "Zugai, you're not holding back, are you?"

"Who, me? Of course not." Zugai replied with a blunt tone, as he was leaning against the railing, Honehakaisha resting by his feet. As he was sitting there, he took a piece of cloth out of his pocket, and inspected it thoroughly. After defeating the Count, Zugai had been quick to look all around the island before departing in order to give Chris back his hat, but Chris had disappeared without a single trace, and so had most of the Count's riches. "Where could he have gone…?"

"So, Zugai!" The sudden sound of his first mate broke Zugai's train of thought. "Now that we have a flag, I think it's a perfect opportunity to name our crew! After all, we can't call ourselves pirates without a pirate crew to be called!"

Zugai looked at Nampu with a puzzled look, before turning his gaze at the horizon. "Well, if you have any suggestions, then please share them, since I'm running a blank." Nampu gaped once those words escaped Zugai's lips, and grumbled.

"So you're telling me that the captain of this pirate crew doesn't even have a crew name prepared for such an occasion?!" he yelled in annoyance, as he sat down against the mast and pouted, drawing a giggle from Krystal and a chuckle from Jin. "Well, how about the Bonehead pirates, huh?" he said out of the blue in a surly tone, which drew a laugh from his captain.

"Nah, I'm not too sure if other pirates would think we named the crew after you, Nampu." Zugai said in a sing-song tone, which made Krystal, KC and Jin burst out in laughter, and soon, both Zugai and Nampu followed. "But, in all seriousness, we'll think of something once we reach land."

Krystal sighed, as she looked over at Jin. "Say, Jin, didn't you say something about being on that island before?" she asked, which made Jin hold his chin in thought.

"Well, there was this one time when the Count got me and Shageki over there to assassinate someone, but the people there were so nice, that we just couldn't bother killing whoever the hell he wanted us to kill. I think the name of that person was…" As he pondered about the name, his gaze caught eye of something in the horizon. "And what do you know, there it is!"

As soon as he said that, the pirates quickly flocked to the railing, seeing just what Jin had spotted; an island with a moderately large town surrounded by lush woods. "Wow…" Nampu gasped in awe. "That's Alcedonia Island?" he asked Jin, without removing his gaze from the island.

"That it is." Jin said with a smile, as he looked at the map. "It's the perfect place for us to look for a chef, seeing as I couldn't help ya back at Ajito Island. Besides, I doubt there to be anyone wanting us dead there." he added with a light chuckle.

Zugai nodded, as he breathed in the fresh sea air around them. "Well, let's not wait much longer, then!" he said, before turning to face his crew. "We ready to get a chef, people?" At that, everyone pumped their fists into the air and yelled "YES!" so loud that people on the island actually wondered what the noise was.

--------------------------------

The white ship dropped anchor on a shore not too far from the dock, mainly due to Zugai not wanting his ship to be robbed whilst they looked for a chef. "Right, so who'll be guarding the ship, then?" Zugai asked his crew, who seemed quite indifferent on that subject.

"Well, I ended up guarding it all by myself the back at Ajito Island, so I'm heading into town!" Nampu said with a stead-fast tone. "What about you, Zugai? It IS your ship, you know."

"I know, but…" Zugai sighed, as he put a hand against the ship. "If we're going to find a chef, I need to see who the very best is. We can't have some whiny guy with a weird hat and a weirder moustache who can't fight, even if he can cook better than Sanji himself. So, he, or she, must be both a good cook and a good fighter."

Jin nodded a few times, as he inspected the ship. "You know, I, KC and Krystal could guard the ship whilst you and Nampu look for a chef." he said out of the blue, drawing four pairs of eyes towards him. "I need to draw out a course we need to take if we're going to the Grand Line, and Krystal could help KC practice his swordsmanship in the meantime."

KC nodded, before looking over at Krystal. "Well, sweetie, think you're up for some sparring?" he asked her, to which she responded with a brief giggle.

"Alright, then." Zugai said, apparently not noticing the flirting going on between his crewmembers. "Krystal, I got a small sword made out of bone lying in my cabin. You can use that during the sparring, okay?" Then, he and Nampu walked towards the town. "We'll be back before sunset!"

----------------------

"Get that girl!"

"Don't let her escape!"

Several men were running through the town, rummaging through every house and alleyway they could come across, and questioning every person they encountered. Normally, Zugai and Nampu would have ignored the mob and kept on searching for the chef, but the mob always seemed to pop up at unexpected moments; when the pair was looking inside a restaurant, when they were walking in the streets, when they were being questioned by the very same mob. Needless to say, it was getting rather annoying.

"Look, I think I've told you a thousand times, now; I haven't seen any women that seem suspicious lately!" Zugai told one of the men, after being stopped by them for the umpteenth time. "Look, who are you chasing, anyway?"

"You haven't heard?" the man said in disbelief, as he held a photo out for Zugai and Nampu to see. On it was a girl who seemed quite petite, with light blue hair and emerald green eyes. She was also wearing comfortable boy's clothing and ankle boots, and seemed to be running from someone. "It's some gambling girl who got caught whilst cheating. They say her name's Shin Mikage. We've been trying to find her for days now, but still no luck!"

Nampu looked at the picture, noting the girl's appearance, before snapping his fingers. "But maybe she could have gone into the woods to hide? I mean, it's a perfect place for someone to shake off followers, you know." There was a brief silence, before all of the men in the mob made a 'Why didn't I think of that' face. "DON'T TELL ME THAT IT DIDN'T OCCUR TO YOU?!"

"Well, anyway, thanks for the tip!" the man said, as the mob began running from the scene. "If we catch her, we'll make sure to reward you!" Then, they were gone. Zugai sighed, as he looked over at the woods.

"Well, we can't be hanging around here all day. Let's go, Nampu." he said, as he prepared to walk in the opposite direction of the mob, when suddenly, he was thrown right over the buildings and into the woods. Nampu, shocked at seeing his captain catapulted away, noticed that the thing that had thrown Zugai away, was a snare connected to a tree, which was swaying to and fro after launching Zugai.

"Wha… Who would do that? And how did whoever's responsible manage to conceal the snare so perfectly?" Nampu sighed, as he looked towards the woods where Zugai had landed. "With any luck, he won't have moved from where he landed. I can get to him if he doesn't get lost too quickly." Then, he prepared to head into the woods, when he suddenly heard a cackle sounding like that of an old witch.

"You're headed into the woods, aren't you?" a frail voice called behind Nampu, who immediately spun around to see a short, old woman holding a cane before him. She had gray hair, and her wrinkled face matched her grey, sunken-in eyes. She also wore baggy pants and a long-sleeved baggy shirt. "Perhaps you could help an old lady in the woods, please?" she asked in a sinister tone, which somehow put Nampu off.

"Well, um… you see, I'm just going in to find my buddy, who someone launched into the woods." he said hesitantly. "I'm not sure if bringing an old lady like you in there would be such a smart move."

The woman blinked a few times, before holding her hand against her ear. "Eh, what's that? I didn't quite catch that." she said bluntly.

_Oh, she must have poor hearing…_ Nampu guessed in his head, before clearing his throat. "I said that I just need to find my buddy, and I don't want an old lady like you to get hurt!" he said a little louder.

"Eh? Speak up, boy, I can't catch what you said!" she replied, which caused Nampu to groan in annoyance.

"I SAID THAT I JUST NEED TO FIND MY BUDDY, AND I DON'T WANT AN OLD LADY LIKE YOU TO GET HURT!" Nampu yelled as loud as he could, which drew several gazes towards him, to his embarrassment.

The lady cackled again. "Don't go busting up your speech, kid, I heard you the first time!" she said in between laughing. "And I'm no old lady; my name is Henko!" Then, she walked up to Nampu and patted his back. "So, we got a deal? You take me into the woods, okay?"

Nampu blinked for a few minutes, before looking down at Henko. "Wait a minute, didn't you say that you couldn't hear what I-"

"WHAAAAAAAAAAT?" came the reply from Henko, though this seemed more as mockery rather than asking for repetition, which was more evident by the cocky grin that was plastered on her wrinkly face. Again, Nampu groaned in annoyance.

"Well, seems like you're going to follow me no matter what I say, so let's go!" Then, Nampu began trotting towards the woods, as did Henko, but not before she had grinned maliciously for a few seconds.

--------------------------

Zugai groaned, as he held his head in pain. He was lying in a field of flowers, and his vision became slowly blurred, probably due to being thrown into the woods. Then, he heard some noise in front of him. "Gnh… who's there…?" he muttered, as he saw someone approach him. However, the only thing he caught glimpse of before he fell unconscious was a head of light blue hair…

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**A/N:** Well, there it was! Again, I apologize for the delay, and hope that you guys aren't that mad at me for being sloppy on updates. And yes, Shin is the creation of **NeoGene**, whilst Henko is the brain-mother of **Alter Shead**, Jin's creator. So, hope you enjoyed, and remember to read and review; the three great R's of fan-fics. XD

**YolkaEd**


	13. The Truth of the Family!

**A/N: **Right, a quick correction on my part; Henko is actually made by **Nezumimaru**, instead of what I foolishly typed in the last chapter. So sorry about that! Well, with that said and done, let the chapter begin!

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Truth of the Family!**

**The Alcedonian Hag Strikes!**

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Zugai opened his eyes, blinking a few times, before sitting upright. "What happened?" he asked himself, as he got a quick look at his surroundings; he was inside a small cottage, with a good deal of tools lying littered around the floor. Another thing noteworthy was a counter with various kitchen utensils, vegetables and spices residing on it, and a stove which was boiling some water in a saucepan. He also noted that he was lying in a bed. "Now, this is… but who brought me here?"

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a neck snapping, making him spin his head towards the window, where he saw that a rabbit was lying dead on the ground outside, its head twisted 90 degrees to the left, which made it stare at Zugai with its cold, dead eyes. Zugai also noticed something around the rabbit's neck; a noose tied tightly around it. "What kind of trap could do something like that?"

Then, he saw something else; someone walked up to the deceased critter, and picked it up from its ears. "Well, looks like dinner's ready!" the person said, and Zugai could discern the voice as female. "Wonder if our guest would like a nice rabbit stew…" Then, she was gone from sight.

Only a few moments later, the door into the cottage was opened up, and inside walked a girl Zugai instantly recognized; it was Shin Mikage, the same girl from the photo the man had shown him and Nampu earlier. "Well, look who's awake!" she said in an upbeat tone, as she walked over to the stove, before promptly slamming the dead rabbit on the counter. "Don't get up, I'll have dinner ready in a minute!" Then, she began cutting up various vegetables, whilst mixing together spices in a separate bowl, and also preparing the rabbit for consumption.

Zugai blinked as he saw Shin work on the meal with an unnatural speed. "Um… you wouldn't happen to be called Shin Mikage, would you?" he asked her, to which she didn't reply, as she was too caught up in her cooking. Soon, she had put the ingredients into the saucepan, and proceeded to sit down on a stool, waiting for the meal to finish preparing.

"That it is." she finally said with a nod, not removing her gaze from the saucepan. "Try not to wear it out, okay?" Then, she turned her head so that she looked over at Zugai. "By the way, your jacket's kinda tattered, so would you mind if I sew it back together?"

Zugai blinked a few times, before clearing his throat. "Well, to be honest, I kinda like my jacket this way, so I'll have to decline you offer." he said bluntly, to which Shin merely nodded to.

"Well, you just lie down and get some rest; this stew will need some preparation time." she said, before turning back to the stew. Zugai merely nodded at this, before putting his head back on the pillow.

------------------------

"C'mon, youngster, keep up!" In the woods, Nampu and Henko were rummaging every last corner they could come across for any clues of where Zugai had disappeared to. However, as it turned out, Henko was acting far too agile for a woman her age, as she was easily searching the woods, whilst Nampu had trouble with even keeping up with her.

"What kind of… old hag would… be so freaking… agile?" he muttered to himself, as he was heaving for his breath whilst leaning against a tree. However, as soon as he took a small step away from the tree, he was immediately hoisted up into the air by unknown forces, causing him to yelp in surprise. "Hey, what the hell?!"

Soon, Henko was standing underneath Nampu, who was dangling upside-down from the tree he had been leaning against, due to a noose having caught itself around Nampu's leg. "Well, you seem to be _hanging_ in there!" she said mockingly, cackling at Nampu's misfortune.

"Oh, shut up, old hag, and get me down from here!" Nampu growled, as he tried reaching for his bag, which was still hanging from his arm. _If I could only get a shard of glass, I could cut my way down from here! _he thought, as he tried to get something from his bag, when he suddenly fell to the ground, landing on the grass with a thump.

"So, are ya done fooling around now?" Henko muttered, as she was inspecting her cane for a moment, looking over at Nampu. "Then come on, we gotta find that brat!" With that, she began walking through the woods again.

"Sheesh, Zugai may be a bonehead, but…" Nampu muttered, as he looked over at Henko with an annoyed glare. "He's not some kid, either!" Then, he followed Henko through the woods.

----------------------

"Wow, this is delicious!" Zugai said in awe, as he was now quickly eating up the stew Shin had served him. "Everything just blends perfectly! The sauce, the vegetables, the rabbit… how do you do it?" he asked, to which Shin only laughed in response.

"I just know how to cook, silly!" she said, as she scooped herself a portion of the stew. "With all the animals getting stuck in my traps by accident, I need to do something with them, you know." she added, as she began eating from the stew as well.

"Oh, yeah, I gotta ask, though…" Zugai said, as he put aside the fork for a little while. "Those guys back in town said something about you cheating during a gambling session. What's with that, really?"

Shin blinked a few times, before she put aside her own fork as well. "Well, it's really no big deal; I just have a reputation. See, there was this one incident on Commi Island, that island Arlong occupied for eight years… you do know about that, right?"

Zugai nodded. "Who doesn't? Defeating Arlong was the thing that got Monkey D. Luffy his first bounty, not to mention the very best navigator who has ever sailed the seas! I heard that they finally managed to rebuild Gosa about three years ago."

Shin nodded in response. "See, that's the thing. An underground organization – the name escapes me – had gotten this gambling gig going on there, and they caught me with an ace up my sleeve. I swear I wasn't going to use it, honest!" she said, as she looked cautiously to her sides.

Zugai blinked a few times. _So, I'm guessing she's only a little paranoid. _he thought, before clearing his throat. "So, if this happened on Commi Island, then why are men from Alcedonia Island hunting you?"

"Well, you see…" Shin began, as she was looking for the right words to utter. "Those guys only happen to be visiting the island; they're really from someplace else, though I don't really know where. And they just so happen to be part of this underground organization… but I'll be damned before I can remember the name of it…"

Zugai nodded, as he began eating the stew again. _I don't think it's the right one, but I might as well…_ "This organization… it wouldn't happen to be called the Megtapos Family, would it?"

Suddenly, Shin made a sound, and nodded frantically. "Now that you mention it, yeah, that's it! But…" She looked at Zugai with a doubtful glare. "How did you know what they're called?"

Zugai shrugged. "We had an encounter with them on Ajito Island. There was this fat guy who had green hair, and he had these four guards, but one of them are with my crew now. I dunno what that fat guy's doing now…"

Shin suddenly slapped her forehead as she remembered something, before she found a newspaper thrown at the floor. "He's not doing much, really… he's dead." Then, she showcased the newspaper, with the headline reading "Count Megtapos XIV found murdered in his own room."

At that moment, Zugai sputtered out the food he had in his mouth, shocked at seeing the headline. "Dead?! But who… it couldn't be Chris, could it? Was it one of his guards, or…" That was when he noticed something on the wall in the picture, written in someone's blood. "I disapprove of failures. SS." Zugai blinked his eyes a few times. "SS? Who is that supposed to be?"

As Shin was about to answer, they heard someone call out Zugai's name. "Huh… more guests? They should have gotten here earlier, since the stew's pretty much gone."

"Wait…" Zugai listened to the voice. "It can't be… Nampu? Shin, where is the axe I had on me when you found me?"

Shin blinked, and pointed towards a corner, where Honehakaisha was resting against the wall together with an Espada Ropera blade. "I almost didn't get it to budge! That thing is heavy, I tell you. And why does it remind me of-" She didn't get to say anything, as Zugai quickly grabbed the axe, before rushing outside. "Yeah, sure, just go barging out without letting me finish." she muttered, as she grabbed the sword, before also taking a dirk lying on the counter, before running after Zugai.

Outside, Zugai had only gotten a few feet out of the house, before he saw Nampu resting against a tree, heaving for his breath. "Nampu, you found me!" Zugai called, as he started walking towards Nampu. "Sorry about just flying away earlier, that was rude of me!"

Nampu looked over at his captain, and sighed in relief. "Thank GOD that I found ya, bud. I was starting to wonder if-" However, before he could finish talking, he accidentally stepped in another snare, which sent him flying upwards, trapped yet again. "Alright, this gag isn't funny anymore! Old hag, wherever you are, help me down!"

At that moment, Shin walked up to Zugai, and looked up at Nampu. "Oh, shi- Sorry, that's my trap! Hang on, I'll get you down from there!" However, as she took a step forward, Zugai quickly pushed her out of the way, just in time for a shadow to fly out of nowhere, jabbing at Zugai with a spear. "Who the…"

"Tsch!" the figure spat, as it saw that the spear hadn't even made Zugai budge. "I knew that the Count's killer wouldn't go down easy, but I didn't know that you'd be willing to save others!" Then, the figure jumped off Zugai, and landed directly underneath Nampu, where it was finally revealed that the figure was Henko.

"Hey! Old hag!" Nampu yelled from the tree, which made Henko bob her head in his direction. "Don't you even think about doing something to my friend! If you so much as even bend a hair from his head, I'll rip you to shreds!" Henko stood still for a few moments, before cackling again. "H-hey! What's so funny?"

"Do ya think I'm senile, kid?" Henko cackled, as she looked over at Zugai with a smirk. "There's no way in hell you could do anything to me with your body, so don't even bother! Besides, I'm frying bigger fish tonight!" Then, she suddenly launched herself towards Zugai, holding her cane with the tip pointing at her adversary, revealing a pointed tip on it, as it was a spear.

However, Zugai didn't even have to move a single step away from his spot, as he simply blocked the incoming spear with Honehakaisha's flat side. "And I suppose that fish is me? Cut me a break." he said calmly, before swiping the axe outward, sending Henko staggering back. "What do you want with me, anyway?"

Henko got back into balance, and began cackling again. "Isn't it obvious? I seek to become the head of the Family!" Then, she charged at Zugai again, but again, he repelled her like last time. "And the only way I can accomplish that is if I take your punk-ass out, little mister murderer!"

Zugai merely blinked, as he had no clue what Henko was talking about. Just then, Shin got back to her feet, and looked at Henko with a puzzled glare. "Murderer?" she asked with a confused look. "What do you mean by that?"

Again, Henko cackled. "What do I mean by that, she asks! What else COULD I mean?! Back-stabber, keel-hauler, serial killer, deranged psychopath… Do I really need to spell it out for you? A MURDERER!" With that, she charged once again at Zugai, but this time, she felt the pain of leather grabbing her throat, before pulling her off the ground.

"Be more specific, old hag." Zugai said in an intimidating voice, as his gloved hand slowly strangled the older lady. "Why am I suddenly a murderer?"

Henko continued to cackle, the strangling making it sound even more twisted than usual. "Well, why DO you think? Who else were there to assassinate Count Megtapos, eh?" Then, her body began waving, as she started cackling even more. Then, out of her back, a pair of large, black wings sprouted out, and her neck suddenly extended, as a beak grew in place of her mouth. Shocked at the sudden transformation he bared witness to, Zugai let go of Henko's neck.

"Wait…" Shin looked in shock at the transformation before her. "You ate a Zoan type, didn't you?"

Henko cackled in response, as she looked down at Zugai, as black feathers began sprouting out all over her body. "The Tori Tori no Mi: Model Vulture!" she said, as she continued cackling, whilst flying higher into the air. "And I should tell you, Demon's Orthopedic, that you cannot end the Family by simply killing one of its enforcers!"

Zugai looked puzzled up at the vulture-lady. "The Family? Isn't it called the Megtapos Family?" Again, a cackle was what he got as a response. "And stop cackling, it's annoying!"

"Why, you got a tongue that matches your behavior!" she said in between cackles, before she calmed down. "And as for your question, it's just the Family. Listen here, whelp, there's six different factions of this family, alright?" she said, as she held out six fingers, all of them crooked due to her vulture transformation. "There's one for each of the Blues, one for the Grand Line, and one for the New World. So, the Megtapos Family is actually only the East Blue part of a much bigger crime syndicate, and even with the death of the Count, the organization won't just die!"

Zugai blinked a few times, as he tightened his grip on Honehakaisha. "And why won't it die out… pray tell?" he asked, to which Henko again cackled.

"Because you killed him! Anyone who kills the one who killed the last chief receives the position as head of the East Blue Family section!" she replied with a sneer.

"What makes you think that I killed him?" Zugai asked again.

"The newspaper doesn't specify who killed him, but it does say that three ships left Ajito Island a little after the murder, and when I read that one of the ships were as white as bone, which is the same ship that was captained by the one who struck down The Wicked Knight, I put two and two together! Now prepare for death, Demon's Orthopedic!"

Zugai merely cracked his neck, as he got a few quick glances from both Shin and Nampu. "I don't know what you're talking about, but if you want a fight, you got one, old hag!" Then, he got in a battle stance, prepared to take down Henko, who just couldn't stop cackling.

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**A/N: **Alright, we're done! Man, this chapter took me a while. Well, hope you enjoyed, and we'll see you next time, for the conclusion of the vulture battle!

**YolkaEd**


	14. A Resolve to Die For!

The mob of men were still looking everywhere for Shin, but their search proved to be futile; she was nowhere to be found in the entire town. At this point, they had split up in order to more efficiently find her, and right now, one of them was in discussion with a random person. "And you are sure you haven't seen this lady?" he asked.

The man he was speaking to was wearing a cloak over his body and a hood over his head, leaving his true identity ambiguous, but a black Mohawk was discernible from underneath the hood. "No, I haven't, but I know a guy who's been looking for her."

"Well, whatever the case, if ya find her, give us a holler!" the man said, before leaving the hooded person behind. The hooded person looked towards a mountain not too far from the town, and scratched his chin.

"Maybe she's there… I'll have to find that out myself." Then, he walked calmly out of town, ignoring the noisy mob still looking for Shin.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Resolve to Die For!**

**The Newest Crewmember, and a Crew Name?**

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"DIE!!!" Henko cackled, as she swooped towards Zugai with her spear at the ready, but again, Zugai didn't have to do anything but block the strike with a half-hearted parry. Gritting her teeth, the old hag spun her weapon around her body, before diving from an immense height towards Zugai. "Hagetaka Bomber!"

Zugai quickly noted the high speed she was diving in, and quickly rolled out of her way, which led to her crashing straight into the ground, causing a tremor to be created. "Damn… At that speed, I can't exactly block her efficiently." he muttered, as he began spinning Honehakaisha around. "Well, time to see if the best defense is offense!" Then, he dashed towards Henko, whose spear was now lodged into the ground. "Bone Cleaver!"

Seeing Zugai run towards her, Henko quickly let go of her spear, and took to the sky, just before Zugai slammed the axe into the ground, creating a tremor even stronger than hers, but unfortunately, the only thing affected was the spear, which was removed from the ground it was stuck to. "You just won't hold back, will you?" Henko cackled, as she quickly swooped towards the ground, picking up her spear again, before flying back into the air. "You cannot best me in a duel, unless you can grow wings!"

Zugai growled in annoyance, as he began spinning Honehakaisha around again. "You'd best stay still this time." he muttered, as the axe was spinning much quicker than before. "I'll show you how to best any duel!" Then, he threw the still spinning axe in the air, but instead of hitting Henko, as she had expected him to try, it went straight past her, into the air.

"HAH! Is that all you got, punk?! I can't believe that this is the guy who killed Count Megta-" Henko cackled, but it quickly died out when she saw what Zugai was doing; as soon as he had thrown the axe, he had begun climbing up a tree with immense speed, reaching the top of it just as she had stopped mocking him. "What the hell?!"

Before she could react, Zugai had leapt off the top of the tree, and grabbed the axe before it could begin its descent. Then, he began spinning around in the air, the momentum of the axe adding more energy into the spin. "Honehakaisha Joker Roulette!" With that, the spinning Zugai slammed straight into Henko, the handle of the axe striking her back. Then, both of them flew straight into the ground, creating a giant dust cloud and yet another tremor, but this one was so mighty that the tree Nampu was hanging from nearly toppled over.

"Damn!" Nampu yelled, as he shielded his eyes from the dust. "Zugai never told me that he knew those kinds of tricks!" As the dust began to settle, Nampu got yet another shock; the sheer force of the impact had created a crater where Zugai and Henko had crashed. "Oh, now that's just ridiculous! But at the same time, it's pretty damn awesome!"

Shin blinked in shock as well, as she saw Zugai towering over the downed vulture with an indifferent gaze. "Wow… he's not too shabby." she said after a while.

"Well, I'm done here." Zugai finally said, as he turned his attention to his first-mate in the tree. "Hey, Nampu, hang on a minute, and I'll get you down!" he shouted, as he got ready to throw Honehakaisha at the branch the rope was tied to.

Nampu grinned at the thought of getting down from the tree, but it faded once he saw what was behind Zugai. "Buddy, look behind ya!" he yelled, which only made Zugai look puzzled at him, until he felt something pierce his right hip, as a spear was now sticking out of the pocket of Zugai's pants. Gritting his teeth in pain, Zugai noted that Chris' hat was now hanging from the spear, due to it having been inside the pocket.

"You're really lucky, aren't ya, kid?" the hoarse voice of Henko called, as the spear suddenly vanished from the leg, and a stream of blood ejected from Zugai's new wound, bringing him to a knee. "If I hadn't been injured, I'd have pierced your heart." she muttered, before breaking into a cackle, leaning against the spear, as she had returne to human form. "But hey, you couldn't exactly finish me off with that attack, so I'm not complaining!"

Zugai growled, as he picked up the hat, which had slipped to the ground after Henko removed the spear. "Don't be complaining about it, either. The Honehakaisha Joker Roulette is an attack based on chance; I miss, I strike, or I kill. I struck you, at least, so we should be even." he said, as he turned around to face Henko, but the injury to his leg made it difficult. _Damnit, she was just too quick. If I only had hardened my bones before she could…_

"Oh, I can just read you like an open book!" Henko cackled, as she pointed her spear at Zugai. "You're pissed because you got careless, and that you let an old lady like me inflict such a wound on ya! Well, you just sit put, and I'll have you finished in no time!" Then, tightening her grip around the spear, she suddenly leaped towards Zugai, ready to impale him as he sat defenseless on the ground.

However, suddenly, the spear was brought to a quick halt, as something had blocked it. It was a sword, Espada Ropera, and its edge was keeping the spear at bay. Looking in discomfort at its owner, Henko then glared daggers at Shin, who had stepped in to aid Zugai. "Hey, get out of my way, brat!"

Shin only narrowed her eyes, as she took a step forward. "You listen here, you wrinkled, wretched, spiteful little old hag! You just come barging in here when I've served a good stew, trying to assassinate a good guest I'd gotten, and you expect me to just stand by idly?! Not by a long shot!"

Henko growled, before she suddenly broke into yet another cackle. "Oh, yes, you are Shin Mikage, the girl the Count assigned a personal bounty on a week ago! If I hand you over to the mob in town, I'll definitely be given the title of Count! Now, go sit in a corner, so that I can kill the Demon's Orthopedic, ya little ludder!"

Suddenly, Shin slashed a dirk against the spear, beginning to push it away from Henko's grip. "The hell did you just say?!" she yelled between gritted teeth, having problems with keeping her focus up. "I'm just gonna tell ya this, granny, I ain't no skank! I'm gonna make sure you regret those words, and then I'm gonna kill you!"

Henko began cackling again. "Kill me?! Like someone like you could even hope to kill me!'' she said, as she sprouted wings, and turned into her hybrid form, before taking to the sky. "But by all means, come and get me, skank!" Then, she swooped towards Shin, swiping her spear at her. However, she was able to evade the attack by rolling under it.

Then, Shin smirked, as she held the dirk to her face. "By the way, I should tell you; that trap you set up back in town is just pathetic." she said, as she began juggling the dirk in her hands. "Only a complete and utter moron would have fallen for that! So, let me demonstrate how a true trap works!" Then, she flung the dirk at Henko, or so it seemed.

"Hah! That was pathetic, just like you!" Henko cackled, until she heard a string snap. Turning her head, she saw the dirk embedded into a tree, which suddenly exploded, sending tons of splinters, as well as shrapnel, flying in every direction, but the only one affected was Henko; Zugai shielded himself underneath his axe, and Nampu just lucked out (but the rope remained intact).

The immense number of projectiles that struck her caused Henko to go out of balance. "Woah! Dammit, you got lucky!" she yelled, as she veered a little to the right, but she ended up crashing face-first into another tree, getting her beak stuck in the bark.

"What's the matter, hag? Is your _bark_ worse than your bite?" Shin laughed, as she ran towards the tree, swiping the sword in her hand at what seemed to be thin air, but in reality, she cut yet another string, this time opening a hole in the ground right under Henko, shooting out several darts that again struck the vulture repeatedly.

The pain that shot through her body forced her to quickly revert into human form again, but this, in turn, made her drop down to ground level, since her beak no longer was stuck to the tree. "DAMN! Why, you little imp! I'll teach you to mess with your elders!" she yelled, as she tightened the grip on her spear, before rushing towards Shin, who didn't make any effort at all to get out of the way.

Just then, Henko could hear a click under her. She had stepped on a carefully-hidden tile on the ground, which had activated some sort of chain reaction. Looking behind her, she saw that a scythe managed to cut down the tree she had been stuck to not too long ago, before the tree collapsed on a plank, which sent a bag of nails flying into the air. The bag landed on top of Shin's hut, before it tilted to the side, spilling its contents down to the floor. The nails were landing on a sharp rock placed next to a rope, and little by little, the falling nails were creating sparks as they dropped on it. Eventually, a spark big enough to generate a small flame landed on the rope, which began burning up like a fuse, as the small flame headed for the bewildered Henko. Once it had completely reached her…

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

A massive explosion threw Henko high into the air, as she began screaming in terror, though it was quite weak, as she had been in the center of the blast. However, she was only in the sky for a few moments, before she fell like a rock, slamming down right before Shin's feet. "Heh. And that shows just how much of a ludder I am, right, hag?!" Shin said triumphantly, as she began humorously kicking the downed woman. "Yeah, I'm the woman, and don'tcha forget it!"

Zugai merely blinked a few times, as he scratched his head. _Well, those were definitely some traps, but…how does it go against what the old hag implied? _he thought, as he looked over at Nampu, who was wildly cheering Shin on in her old hag-abuse.

"Hey, Nampu, I'll get you down now!" he said, as he slowly got back on his feet, before throwing Honehakaisha at the rope that was holding Nampu up, cutting it and the tree's top with one swoop, making the top, and Nampu, fall to the ground, Nampu landing safely inside the branches of the tree.

"I'm okay, bud!" Nampu said, as he peeked out from the branches, a few leaves stuck to his blonde hair. "Okay, no more traps! We're done, let's get back to Ivory. I'm sure Jin's got the next course planned out by now."

Zugai nodded, as he retrieved his axe. "Yeah, you're right. It's too bad that we couldn't find a chef. We would surely be in need of one once we get to the Grand Line." he said, as he turned to leave, when Shin suddenly appeared right in front of him.

"You guys are headed to the Grand Line?" she asked, as Zugai nodded slowly. "Good, then take me along! If I go to the Grand Line, I might be able to find All Blue, the sea it's said that Black Leg Sanji now resides in! I've dreamt of going there ever since I was little, and… I promise, with me aboard, you won't have to starve at all!"

Zugai blinked in response. He couldn't believe his ears. Was this woman actually proposing to join his crew, without any questions or second doubts? True, he needed a chef, but the offer had come upon him very suddenly, so he was caught off guard. "Well… I guess we could-" Before Zugai even had a chance to fulfill the sentence, Shin grabbed his hand and began shaking it violently.

"Oh, thanks a bunch! You won't regret this!" she said, before quickly letting go of the hand. "Just wait here, you two; I gotta pack up my traps!" Then, she went inside of the hut, and came out with a load of paper bags, before walking around the area, finding a whole bunch of traps scattered around.

"Did… did she just invite herself onboard?" Nampu asked in confusion, as he saw how quickly Shin worked. Zugai only responded with a brief nod.

"Oh, wait, dammit, I forgot about Chris' hat! I dropped it once the old hag stabbed me…" Zugai noted to himself, as he turned to pick up the hat, but it wasn't where he had dropped it. "What the… where's the hat?" Looking a little more around, he discerned that Henko was gone as well. "Where did she go?"

-------------------------------

"DAMMIT!" Henko spat, as she was now flying in the air, Chris' hat in one of her talons. "That girl cheated! She had picked the battlefield in advance, and… oh, forget it. I just need to bandage my wounds, and this hat will make some extra fine bandages, I'll tell ya!" Then, she began cackling again, as she was getting closer to the mountain, as she neared a small outing in the mountainside, which was in reality a small cave.

She flew inside of the cave, and heaved for her breath, as she took the hat in her hands. "Right, just a few rounds with some scissors and a little sowing, and BAM! Back in action. Then I can give that little girl just what she deserves…"

"My, you took a royally long time getting here." a new voice suddenly said. "It's been hell waiting for you." Hearing it made Henko spin around to see the cloaked person from the beginning of this chapter standing in the entrance of the cave, which made her snarl in annoyance.

"Yeah? And who the hell are you supposed to be?! Piss off!" she yelled, as she suddenly swooped at the man with her spear, but instead of avoiding it or parrying it, the man merely grabbed the spear in mid-air, to Henko's surprise. "Wha-" Then, all of a sudden, the man snapped the spear in half with only one movement. "WHAAAAAAT?!?!"

Then, before she could react, the man took both halves, pointed the splintery sides at Henko, and pressed her up against a wall, jabbing both spear ends into her wings, hanging her on the wall, making her scream in pain. "There, now you be a good old lady and stay put." he said indifferently, as he took the hat in her hand from Henko, before turning away.

"H-hey! Wait a minute!" Henko yelled after him. "You're just gonna leave me here?! Don't go screwing around with me! Don't you know who I am?!"

The man stopped, and turned his head around, so that she could notice a small scar on his cheek shaped like an X. "Frankly, I don't give two shits about who you are. You spent too long getting up here, so I went down to the village and told the mob that you were responsible for Count Megtapos' death. They shouldn't take long to get here. Ciao, then." With that, the man vanished, leaving Henko to writhe in agony, as she had to accept the inevitable; she was not becoming Count anytime soon.

---------------------------

**Zugai Hibiware – **Captain/Shipwright/Blacksmith

**Nampu Kiyasui – **First Mate

**KC Boom – **Swordsman

**Krystal Gem – **Sniper

**Jinketsu Namura – **Navigator

**Shin Mikage – **Cook/Hunter

**A/N: **Ergh, this one took WAY too long to finish, mainly due to me getting the sad case of "Sickness Which Hates Writers" syndrome, so I've been out of writing capabilities for nearly a whole week. Well, as you might have noticed, I decided to cut away the Author's Notes at the top of the document, because frankly, finding things to say never seemed to be that informative. Instead, I figured that a little prologue text for the chapter could be more fitting. Well, with that, the crew has risen to six! See you for the next chapter!

**YolkaEd**


	15. The Circus Island!

"RUN AWAY!" The panic-struck voice of several men rang through the black-painted night, as a mob of people were running away from a building set ablaze. Those who didn't run away could only look at the burning structure in awe and confusion. "Whoever did that?" "Who'd torch a bank to the ground?" "This is madness!"

As this was going on, in the distance, on a rooftop, two people were standing, one holding a black hat, and the other covered in what seemed to be a shroud. "Alright, mister, I helped you rob the bank, now what information do I get?" the person holding the hat said.

The cloaked man chuckled. "Señorita, you are by far the most straight-forward woman I've ever known and worked with. I find that, how you say, amable." he said in a Spanish accent, which only made the girl with him giggle. "Now, the man you're looking for, Ortopédico el Diablo, he's said to be headed towards this island. But if you're planning to fight him, causión, rumors go around that he brought down Count Megtapos."

The girl giggled again, as she glanced at a poster in her hand. "Of course he would have. And soon, he'll be mine…" she said, as she began giggling again. Just then, it began raining.

"Ah, rain." the cloaked man said in a calm tone, as he looked to the sky. "There is nothing more conmovedor than the sky opening all its hatches, and letting loose its contents." Then, he turned from the woman, and began heading away. "Now, with the money I've gotten, I wish you luck. Adiós, señorita."

The girl looked after him as he left, before looking back at the poster, which proudly showcased Zugai's near-demonic look during his fight with the Wicked Knight. Then, she began laughing, in a bubbly, yet somehow sinister-sounding fashion, though that may have been due to the lightning perfectly striking at the time of her laugh.

--------------------------------------

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Circus Island****!**

**The Little Lady Craigmirra**

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"You STILL haven't found a crew-name?" It has been three days since the escapades on Alcedonia Island ended, and since then, nobody found out about who had quite literally "pinned" the blame on Henko, who had been showcased in the newspaper, hanging on a wall with her wings impaled to the wall and numerous bruises from beatings on her. Apparently, someone broke up the beating before she could get killed, and she was hospitalized, and came with her side of the story.

Right now, the Howling Ivory was again on the seas, with its six crewmembers busy with various activities: KC was practicing his sword arm by alternating with shooting fire and ice-themed projectiles, Krystal was busy practicing her aim, Jin was in the middle of determining their next stop, Shin was preparing a meal, and Nampu hovered over Zugai, who was busy reading the paper's article about Henko.

"I haven't had time." Zugai said lazily, as he folded the paper together. "Not with all the crazy things going on right now. First Count Megtapos is killed, and now that old hag's been impaled on a wall. I'm beginning to wonder if this Family's systematically killing off anyone in their way." As he finished talking, he noticed Nampu nodding his head with great interest.

"Well, it has been strange, all right." Nampu said, as he sat down next to Zugai, who was now just rummaging through the paper. "It's like, everyone who gets their ass handed by us gets punished by some higher-placed official, or something… you wouldn't think that this is something akin to that Baroque Works organization running around during the Second Pirate King's era?"

Zugai shrugged, as he rolled the newspaper together. "Can't say I know for certain, but there is something suspicious about this Family…" Just then, a door slammed open, and Shin leaped straight out on deck, landing right next to the mast, before inhaling.

"Hey, everyone!" she yelled, which got everyone's attention. "Dinner's ready! You hurry up and get some before it gets cold!" Then, she quickly stormed back into the kitchen.

Nampu quickly got on his feet, and rubbed his stomach in anticipation. "Oh man, Zugai, this is it! Now we have to find out if her cooking's really good enough for our crew!" Then, he went into the kitchen, leaving Zugai behind.

Zugai chuckled a little, as he quickly glanced at his gloved hand, before he too went inside the kitchen, where he found that the rest of the crew was already waiting for him by the table. He took a seat, as the others quickly grabbed their forks and knives, ready to eat what was on their plates, which was omelet with visible pieces of ham and herbs sticking out of it, together with some lettuce and toast at the side. "Well, everyone, dig in!" Shin said, and everyone began digging in.

Whilst Nampu and KC were completely absorbed in eating as fast as possible, Shin and Krystal took their time to savor the flavor, as did Zugai and Jin, who were busy discussing their new destination. "So, you said that the island's name was what again?" Zugai asked, as he took a good bite out of the omelet.

"It's called Kyokuba Island." Jin quickly replied, before he finished what was left of his toast. "People are said to be very carefree there, and once every month, there is a spectacular circus that lasts for three straight days. Sadly, if we're going to the Grand Line, we can only do a quick stop there, before we head for another island, then Lougetown, and finally, we head for the Grand Line."

Zugai nodded, as he continued eating. Soon, everyone had finished eating the omelet, and needless to say, they all looked satisfied. "Shin, I gotta say, I haven't tasted so good food in ages!" KC said cheerfully, as he put aside the tableware in his hands.

"Yeah, he's right!" Krystal chimed in, as she set aside her tableware. "You really are a natural at this, Shin." Shin only laughed, as she picked up her plate and tableware, before going over to the sink.

"Glad ya'll liked it!" she said cheerfully, as she quickly finished her dishes. "Now, you guys be good and do the dishes, alright?" she added, as she walked out of the kitchen, and the rest of the crew, though baffled over Shin suddenly pushing them into washing duties, began doing the dishes.

--------------------------

Outside, Shin was standing next to the bow of the ship, scouting out the horizon. "I can't believe this is happening…" she said happily to herself, as she looked up to the sky. "I'm finally going to prove myself. You just wait and see, and I'll show you."

However, as she was busy with her inner monologue, she failed to notice someone sneaking up on her, before the shadow went "BOOGA-BOOGA-BOOGA!", scaring Shin to the point that she leaped a few feet in the air as a result. Turning around, she found it to be Nampu who had scared her like that. "Oh, man, I got you good!" he said in a fit of laughter.

Shin, though briefly terrified by the simple prank, started giggling as well, due to the irony of the situation; a few days ago, Nampu was the one looking like a fool, and now, she had been made a fool out of. "Well, I guess you did." she said, before she turned back to the horizon. "So, you guys done with the dishes?"

Nampu nodded, as he peeked over her shoulder. "Yep. Jin's dealing with the final touches, but we're essentially done!" he said, as he tried to see just what she was looking for.

Shin ignored Nampu, as she gazed at the horizon a little more. That was when she saw it, before promptly turning around and passing by Nampu. "Hey, guys, there's an island coming up ahead of us!" she yelled, which brought the remaining crewmembers over to the front of the ship.

"There it is; Kyokuba Island." Jin said with a nod, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "So, who'll be guarding the ship, and who'll be getting provisions?"

Zugai rubbed his chin for a few seconds, before looking over to the island. "Well, I was thinking about seeing if the town's getting ready for the circus, but I don't think we need more than two guards for the ship. Are there any volunteers?"

Nampu looked back at his captain, and raised his hand. "Well, I could stay behind this time. I honestly can't say that I'm too comfortable with entering another island so soon, especially after hanging from too many a tree for my liking."

Shin nodded, as she raised her own hand. "Well, I might need some time alone in the kitchen, so I could get things organized and whatnot." she said, as she began walking towards the mast. "Ya'll have a good time now, but don't blow too much money on things ya don't need!"

-----------------------------

Howling Ivory stood proudly anchored at the docks of the town, as Zugai, KC, Krystal and Jin were strolling through the streets of the town, where numerous people were dressed in weird costumes, clown make-up and other effects more suitable for a circus. Many animal tamers and jugglers were walking through the streets as well.

"Right, so since we're four people, we could split into two groups." Zugai said neutrally, as he looked at his crewmates. "KC, Krystal, you guys go buy what provisions we need, and Jin and I will see what else the town can offer."

KC only blinked at the order, as Krystal groaned in disbelief. "Why we can't just get provisions together is beyond me…" she muttered. "But why do you have to drag Jin along with you, anyway?" she added, as she glanced at their navigator.

"Well, mainly because I don't trust myself with lots of cash in town; I often buy too much smithing-equipment, and forget about provisions entirely." After hearing this, KC, Krystal and Jin could only stare at their captain in disbelief; he was so bad with handling money that even he knew and admitted it?

"Well, it can't be helped." Krystal finally said, as she and KC turned away from them. "We'll meet up at the main district once we're done. See you then!" Then, Krystal and KC disappeared into the crowd, leaving Jin and Zugai to their own devices.

"So, Zugai, where should we go first?" Jin asked out of the blue, as he looked around the district, seeing multiple street performers. However, one voice stuck out to both of the pirates ears. Turning completely around, they saw a man with tanned skin and brown, curly hair and blue eyes, coupled with a long, thin, curly moustache, and a long, curly beard matching its appearance. A gold chain hung around his neck, and his clothing consisted of a black and red-striped, unbuttoned shirt, showing his muscular body, as well as a pair of jeans. A brown Bennie hat with the Japanese symbol for mystery marked on it was sitting on his head, and on his feet, a pair of blue slippers resided. The man was sitting on a bench, playing a guitar as he sung a song in Spanish.

"_Va a entregar el bien de Bink!  
A raíz de la brisa del mar!  
__Cabalgando sobre las olas!  
Lejos de todo el salado profundidades!  
__La noche alegre sol!  
Círculos de la pintura en el cielo!  
__como el canto de los pájaros_

Adiós a el puerto,  
A mi viejo pueblo  
Vamos a cantar todos con un Don!  
Cuando el barco zarpa  
Olas de oro y plata  
disolver a rocío salado  
Como todos a zarpar  
Los extremos de la ma…"

As he continued singing, Zugai noticed that besides him, something resembling a porcelain doll was lying on the bench. It was wearing a pink Lolita-style dress, with many laces and frills adjourning it. It also had curly, blonde locks compromising its hair, and its eyes, complete with thick, long eyelashes, were watery blue. However, one thing Zugai thought was weird was that it seemed as if the doll's eyes were following him.

Just then, the man playing the guitar stopped, and looked up to see Zugai. "Ah, _hola_, friend!" he said in an upbeat tone. "Today is a wonderful day for this _artes circenses _to be set up, right?" Zugai suddenly realized that the man was talking to him, and nodded weakly. "Eh, no need to be so modest, friend!" he suddenly said, as he shot off from the bench, and grabbed Zugai's hand, before shaking it. "People call me Velasco, but my _amigas_ call me Ignacio! What is your name, then?"

Zugai blinked a few times, before shaking his head. "Um… my name's Zugai Hibi-" However, as soon as he finished his first name, Ignacio broke into a laugh.

"_Amigo_, your first name is enough!" he said as he laughed, before letting go of Zugai's hand. "But, I do not wish to take up too much of your time. Good luck with whatever your life brings ahead, and _seguro camino_!" Then, he took his guitar, and left the scene.

Jin looked after Ignacio, and scratched his head. "Man, some guys we meet are plain weird…" he said after a while, when he suddenly noticed that the doll was still lying on the bench. "Hey, mister, you forgot your…" he began, but he couldn't see Ignacio anywhere.

Zugai, on the other hand, was observing the doll with a confused look. After thorough examination, he noticed that in the doll's hand, a black hat was stuffed neatly into it. "Wait a minute…" he muttered, as he stepped closer to the doll. "That hat looks awfully familiar…"

Just then, it happened. Zugai felt himself being tackled, as his body flew straight past Jin, and crashed right on the sidewalk. He also felt someone hugging him intensely, probably the one who had tackled him. However, what he couldn't have been prepared for was to see the doll having come to life, as it was the very thing hugging him.

"OHMYGOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, IT'S REALLY YOU!" the doll shouted in blissful happiness, as Zugai tried to break loose from its grip, but since he had left Honehakaisha back at the Ivory, he couldn't use the handle to remove her, so he had to try to push her off, with minimal success.

"Look, kid, I think you might have mistaken me for someone, so- GNNRGH!" he began, but the doll only kept crushing him with the hug, until she was finally pried off by Jin, who was now desperately trying to keep Zugai separated from the little doll.

"But- but, I found you, at long last! Ever since I saw your poster, I knew that you were the one! My idol in life, the Demon's Orthopedic, Zugai Hibiware!" the doll said excitedly, as she wildly waved her hands in midair, which prompted Zugai to quickly grab the hat in her hand. "Hey, wait, that's mine!"

Zugai inspected the hat a little, before shaking his head. "Sorry, kid, but this hat belongs to a friend of mine. I don't know where he is, but I need to get this to him. Say, how did you get your hands on this, anyway?"

The girl stopped waving her hands, as she scratched her head in wonder. "Well, two days ago, this guy in a cloak happened to pass by the island, and he left the hat behind once he left. Very strange guy, that was." she muttered, before shaking her head. "But anyways, please, Zugai, let me join your crew!"

Zugai suddenly did a double-take. "Wait, wait, wait… little girl, you do know that I'm a pirate?" he asked, as he looked the girl eye-to-eye. "By the looks of it, you're not older than ten years. I don't think it would be safe for a girl like you to come with us."

At that moment, the girl's eyes beamed, and she pointed at Zugai. "Hey, I'm 15 years old, and my name isn't 'little girl'! My name is Little Lady Craigmirra, but you can call me 'Little Lady', if you please." she said with a giggle, the last part seemingly added just for mocking purposes.

"Right…" Zugai said dryly, as he stuffed the hat into a pocket. "Well, anyway, you keep telling yourself that. Jin, come on, I'm sure KC and Krystal are waiting." he added, as he turned away and headed towards the main district.

Jin merely sighed, as he put Craigmirra down on the ground, and patted her head slightly, but once she began snarling, he quickly removed it. "Woah, careful now, girl… Look, I know that you might want to join Zugai's crew, but he's just looking out for your best. He wouldn't want you to get hurt, see? Well, see you around!" Then, Jin followed after Zugai, leaving Craigmirra behind.

"No, no, no, no, no!" she said angrily, as she sat down on the bench and began pouting. "This plan was supposed to be flawless, so what happened? Why won't he accept me? I swear that I, Little Lady Craigmirra, am going to get into Zugai's crew, no matter the cost!" Then, she quickly stood up on the bench, before suddenly slouching down to a sitting position again. "But how am I gonna get accepted?"

That was when a piece of paper landed next to her. Looking at it with interest, she picked it up, and noticed that something was scribbled on it. Quickly skimming through it, she grinned mischievously, before hurrying off the bench, running down towards the main district. "I'm gonna get into his crew, even if I die in the process!"

Not too far from the bench, a shadow was smirking to itself, before it vanished completely, ready to enact the plan it had formulated…

--------------------------------

**A/N: **Alright, a new chapter, and two new characters! Ignacio is made by **Kisadota-The Freak Gamer**, and Craigmirra is made by **.** Give them a round of applause! And you've probably figured this out, but the text in italics when Ignacio speaks is Spanish words, which I decided to throw in just for fun. If some of them bug you, send me a PM, and I'll translate them for you! Well, in any case, I'll be seeing you next time!

**YolkaEd**


	16. Attack of the Shrouded Robber!

Nightfall had struck Kyokuba Island, and onboard the Howling Moon, Nampu was scouting into the still-lively town, grumbling to himself. "They've been gone for hours, and they're still not done? Wonder if KC or Zugai pulled them into some strange shenanigans…" Sighing, he began rummaging through his bag out of boredom, pulling out a standard-class work hammer. "The Sniper King usually used these in battle…" he mused, as he began playfully swinging it around.

"So, are ya enjoying yourself?" a female voice suddenly said, which startled Nampu to the point where he accidentally threw the hammer into the air, but before it could strike the deck, it landed in the palm of Shin's hand. "You've been standin' around here since they went into town, dude. Don't you think you need a time-out?"

Nampu shrugged, as he grabbed the hammer, before placing it in his bag. "Nah, I'm cool. I'm just worried if that bone-head went and spent too much money on stuff he ultimately won't need." he said with a tired tone, as he looked towards the town again. "That, and I hope he hasn't gotten himself into trouble."

At that moment, he spotted something walking towards the harbor. "Who the…" Squinting, Nampu could just about make out the shapes heading towards them, and smiled as a result of it. "Well, what do ya know; there they are!" As it turned out, the shapes heading towards them were KC, Krystal, Jin and Zugai, the latter who seemed a little annoyed. Nampu could also see that he was dragging something after him with his right arm. "What has he bought this time…?"

When the four people got next to the ship, Zugai slumped to his knees and sighed in exhaustion. "Sheesh, I've been dragging this thing after me for hours, and it just won't let go!" Nampu blinked in confusion at this quote, but quickly noticed that one of the things Zugai had been dragging along was a girl clutching his right arm.

"He couldn't have…" Nampu sighed, as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "Are ya so desperate for crewmembers that you actually take small girls by force and drag them after you until they die, or something?" he muttered, but that only rewarded him with a shoe thrown straight at his face, sending him crashing into the deck.

"Don't insult Zugai, you weirdo!" As it turned out, the girl was the one responsible for throwing the shoe at Nampu, and was now sticking her tongue out at him. This only led to Zugai sighing in annoyance again.

"Sorry, Nampu, but we couldn't help it." Krystal said, as she jumped on deck. "The girl has been following us ever since we met her, so we didn't get to purchase that much supplies." she added, as she handed a single bag with various articles of food, spices and drinking water to Shin.

"So, Zugai finally got a compromise worked out with the girl." KC spoke up, as he jumped on deck, and helped Nampu get back up on his feet. "If she is allowed to sleep over on Howling Moon for the night, she'll leave us alone when dawn breaks."

Nampu, now holding his nose in pain, quickly glanced over at the girl, who was hugging Zugai's arm so tightly that his captain desperately tried to shake her off, to no avail. "I see… guess it can't be helped. Jin, you get a course ready for us?"

Jin nodded, as he jumped on deck as well. "Well, once dawn breaks, we drop off the girl and head for Shigusa Island to pick up more supplies. After that, it's straight towards Lougetown, before we head towards the Grand Line." Then, he walked towards the railing, and held his hand towards Zugai and the girl, before a stream of water in the shape of a staircase began flowing out of it. "KC, can ya cool this down for me?"

KC nodded, as he held one of his swords at the water stream, which instantaneously froze into a solid staircase of ice. "Just walk on this, but be careful; it's slippery!" he said, before he yawned. "It's getting late, so I guess we should hit the hay, then?"

Zugai nodded, as he too yawned a little. "Well, Little Craig, time to go to bed, isn't it?" he said half-heartedly, as he felt the girl let go of his arm, before he walked up the staircase.

"Hey, my name's Little Lady Craigmirra, I already told you that!" she quickly counter-replied, before she followed him up the staircase. However, without any of the crewmembers noticing, she smiled a little mischievously to herself. _Now, the final phase of my plan begins! And this time, I won't fail! _she thought, as she snickered, before she followed Shin and Krystal to the girls room.

-----------------------------------------

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Attack of the Shrouded Robber!**

**The Long-Awaited Crew**** Name!**

----------------------------------------

Time passed on, as the entire crew was now fast asleep in their respective rooms, though several times, Craigmirra attempted to sneak into the boys' room in order to snuggle with Zugai, but she was always averted by either KC or Jin, until Zugai got so fed up with it that he actually encased himself within his own ribcage instead of sleeping in a hammock, so he wouldn't be disturbed.

However, at the moment, it seemed that all was well. Craigmirra hadn't tried to enter their room in some time, and Zugai was happily snoring lightly to himself, completely oblivious of any noise outside… until a loud thump made him tilt his head upwards, before yawning out of exasperation. "Hey, Little Lady, or whatever, it's way too late for those kind of shenanigans now…"

However, once no light curses came from his quote, his eyes widened. "What the…?" Quickly, he merged the ribcage with his chest, and stood up, grabbing Honehakaisha as he stepped outside of the room, only to be met with darkness. "Am I hearing things or something…?"

Then, he heard the sound of an acoustic guitar playing a melody, before he quickly spun around, to see a man covered in a shroud sitting on top of the mast. Though it was dark, Zugai could discern that the man was wearing a wolf mask. "Hey, who the hell are you?" he called, as he tightened the grip on his trusted weapon. "Speak up, or I'll beat it out of ya!" However, there was no immediate reply. "Hey! I'm talking to you, buddy!"

Then, the man sighed, as he hid the guitar underneath the shroud. "Ah, the darkness of the _crepúsculo_." he said with a sentimental tone. "Such a wondrous time, and yet, people only draw _pesadumbre_ from it. They are too busy caring for their _riqueza_, that they fail to see the wonders of _viveza a esencia._ To tell the truth, _hombre_, it's sickening." Then, the man stood up, as he looked down at Zugai. "That is why I exist: to show those rich _gringos_ what life truly is about. Now, to show you an example of the simple life, I, _El Envuelto Ladrón_, will knock you down!" Then, he leapt from the mast, and seemingly expanded like a tent over Zugai in mid-air. "_Circo Tiempo!"_

However, before he could hit the mark, Zugai dived away from the incoming tent, which stuck itself into the ground, before it shaped itself back into the assailant. "A Devil Fruit user?" he mused to himself, as he began spinning Honehakaisha around. "What is it, the Cloth fruit?" With that, he ran straight towards the man, preparing an upwards slice with his axe. "Bone Splitter!"

However, as Zugai swung up, the man quickly shouted "_Llamada de Paneles_!", before he leapt into the air, turning into a massive bed-sheet, as Zugai's massive swing only gave him an updraft, making him float in the air. Then, he began spinning in the air, as a flurry of punches suddenly rained down on Zugai from the sheet. "_Mostrar Hora_!"

Zugai was forced to shield himself with Honehakaisha, but he noticed that the flurry of punches didn't exactly do the deck any favors; cracks began appearing everywhere on the surface as a result of the continuous punching. "Damnit, this guy's good… but he doesn't seem to be with that Family. Maybe he's some kind of bounty hunter?" Zugai mused, as he suddenly threw Honehakaisha at his airborne foe.

"_Increíble_!" the man yelled, as his shroud-form easily avoided the incoming axe. "Me, of all people, a bounty hunter? They are nothing but greedy _brutos_ who enjoy seeing people in pain and misery, especially that _maldecido traidor _Manigordo!" However, as he rambled, he failed to notice that Zugai had taken the opportunity to leap after his weapon, and grab it in mid-air, before spinning rapidly in the air.

"I couldn't care less about that!" Zugai yelled, as the axe got closer to the shroud. "Just get the hell off my ship! Honehakaisha Joker Roulette!" As he said the last three words, the axe struck home, and the shroud was sent flying into the deck as a result of the wind pressure, but not a single scratch was on it. "Seems like you're made out of tough stuff!" he shouted, as he held Honehakaisha behind him, preparing for the final blow.

However, as the shroud turned back into a human, a defiant chuckle came from the man. "That's the power of the Ooi Ooi no Mi, _hombre_. But that's not all I can do with it! _Desaparecer_!" Suddenly, as Zugai was about to strike him, he turned his right arm into cloth, and wrapped it around the blade of the axe, making it suddenly vanish, leaving Zugai with nothing but the handle.

Zugai was, of course, shocked at seeing his trademark weapon turned into nothing more than a stick in mere seconds. "Damn… Honehakaisha was… what the hell did you do with it?" he muttered, as he put the handle down on the ground, glaring at the man.

"Now, now, _amigo_, don't explode on me, you hear?" the man said in a lighter tone. "Besides, with all the _huesos_ you put into building this ship and that axe, it must have crossed your skull that you could just rebuild it if it was broken, right?"

Just then, something clicked inside of Zugai. "Crossed… skull?" he muttered, as he held his chin in deep thought. "Crossed skulls… skulls crossed… cross skull… that's it!" Then, he smiled, as he got into a fighting stance. "I gotta thank you for this. You just gave me the perfect crew name for my crew; The Cross Skull Pirates!"

The man remained silent for a few moments, before he suddenly laughed. "And I'll expect that the thanks will be _palizas_, right? Well, let us continue our battle, _Ortopédico el Diablo_! _Reaparcer_!" Then, his left arm turned into cloth, before the blade of Honehakaisha actually shot out of it, which Zugai grabbed effortlessly with his gloved hand. "Not bad, but how about this? _Momia_!" Suddenly, right after Zugai dropped the blade, the man shot both arms in the shape of cloth at Zugai, hastily binding him up.

"What the- what kind of attack is this?!" Zugai yelled, before his arms were forcibly crossed over his chest, and his entire body was covered in cloth, making him resemble a mummy. Now, the man laughed, as the cloth tightened around Zugai.

Just then, however, Jin and Krystal burst out of their respective rooms, and both of them witnessed the scene at hand. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Krystal yelled, as she quickly ran towards the man, completely forgetting about finding her bow first.

However, the man didn't even bother looking at her, even as she threw a punch at him, which he avoided by turning into a sheet again. "And now, _el finale_! _Momias Catigo_!" Then, the mummy's back suddenly arched 270 degrees backwards, accompanied by a sickening cracking sound, before it fell limply to the ground.

"BASTARD!!" Jin suddenly yelled, as he now rushed towards the assailant, both fists flowing with a watery aura. "Mizu Mizu Pistol!" Then, throwing a one-two punching combo, he sent a rapid stream of water shooting at the assailant, the pressure of the attack sending the man flying, releasing his grip on Zugai, which meant that the bandages around his body vanished. "Captain, ya alright?!" Jin yelled, as he rushed to his captain's side, shortly followed by Krystal.

A short groaning sound, followed by another crack, let the pair know that their captain was alright, as he quickly got back up. "I'm just lucky that breaking my spine isn't lethal to me in any way. So, where'd he go?"

Krystal quickly looked over at where Jin had launched the man, and quickly noted a wolf mask lying on the ground. Then, her gaze locked itself at a dust cloud in the process of dissolving, which revealed the true identity of the assailant; it was none other than Ignacio. Both Jin and Zugai did a double-take when they saw his face, but he didn't seem to care that much.

"Ah, yes, we met earlier, correct?" he said, as he began laughing. "_Plebeyos _call me Velasco, _amigas _call me Ignacio, but only a _castizo emular _is worthy of knowing my full name." Then, he threw aside the shroud, revealing the outfit he had been wearing when Zugai and Jin met him earlier. "I am Ignacio Tacito Velasco, also known as _El Envuelto Ladrón_! I am the man who will end the differences between the rich and the poor, and I will make you an example of this! _Recortes del Papel_!" With that, Ignacio shot out his right arm as a cloth once again, but this time, it was razor sharp, and headed straight for Jin, who failed to dodge it properly in time, which led to a nasty cut on his left hip, which sent him to his knees.

"Jin!" Krystal yelled, as she rushed to her friend's aid. "Don't overexert yourself; you might pass out from blood loss, and we're in lack of a doctor!"

However, Jin only smirked, as it turned out that what leaked out of his wound wasn't blood, but water. "I'll be fine, but I doubt you'll be of much use here without your bow." he said, before he got up again. "Just lay back and leave him to us, okay?"

Krystal scoffed, as she quickly got in front of Jin and looked him sternly in the eyes. "Now you listen here, buddy; if you think you can order me around, then you got another thing coming for ya!" However, before she could make any further retorts, the sound of metal clashing together brought her gaze behind her, as Zugai had used his body to block another razor-sharp cloth.

"You can't harden your bones or turn into water, so I'd suggest getting to safety for the time being, Krystal." he said in a mild tone, as his body was free of any scratch, which forced a reluctant Krystal to finally hide behind the mast, watching the battle from a safe distance.

Despite the odds being against him, Ignacio broke into a laugh. "Yes, bring out the big guns, and protect the helpless! But such _majestuoso _actions will not save you! The rich will tremble once it's become known that pirates like you have fallen for my grace!" Then, his fist began inflating, as he stretched his arm behind him for a punch. "Now, taste my _Aire Pu-_"

"Handy Dandy Hanky Slap!" Just then, something struck Ignacio straight in his face, making him tumble sideways before he crashed into the ground. As he got up, he was surprised to see Craigmirra staring him down. "Don't you even think about laying a hand on my idol, you meanie!"

Upon seeing Craigmirra, Jin growled with worry. "Hey, girl, this isn't the time to play hero, so you have to-" he began, but Zugai cut him off by holding his hand before his face. "Eh? But Zugai, she-"

"If she wants a battle, then let her have it." Zugai said calmly, as he sat down on the deck, noting the tense atmosphere around Craigmirra and Ignacio. "If someone wishes to fight, then they should not be disturbed, nor should they show any mercy. That's how the mighty warriors of Elbaf said it, right?"

Jin looked in awe at his captain, before nodding. "Yeah, you're right…" he muttered, as he too sat down. "But if he beats her, I'm intervening, okay?" All Zugai replied with was a brief nod, which was all Jin needed.

Ignacio got up slowly, as he laughed to himself. "My, they even allow little _chicas_ into battle? This crew really is an _imprevisible _one!" Then, his right forearm began expanding, as he began laughing again. "But do not expect any _clemencia_ from me, little one! _Vacio Puño_!" Then, he rushed at Craigmirra, as the pressure contained within the forearm was released in the form of a punch, creating a shockwave that sent Craigmirra flying, even though the punch missed.

"Don't think I'm done yet!" Craigmirra yelled in mid-air, as she stretched her arms towards Ignacio, palms open. "I'll show you the power of the Ravu Ravu no Mi! Ravu Rabu Bubble Attack!" Then, a flurry of pink bubbles shot out from her palms at an immense speed, acting as some sort of machinegun, all of which struck Ignacio in succession. The speed of the attack was actually enough to slowly push Ignacio towards the railing on the ship, but the bubbles didn't seem to do anything but annoy him.

"Keep your little _pompas_, girl! I'll show you what happens to those who get in the way of my _puerta_! _Recortes del Papel_!" Again, Ignacio shot out his arm as a razor-sharp cloth, but Craigmirra managed to avoid getting struck directly by it, but as she dived under it, it managed to cut off a tiny snip of her hair.

As she landed, however, she didn't get up. All Ignacio, Zugai, Jin and Krystal could hear, was some sort of muttering, before she suddenly sprung up, roaring in anger, as her eyes glowed a creepy tint of reddish pink, and she somehow grew fangs, and her hair even stood up. "NO ONE TOUCHES THE HAIR, YOU MOTHERF#%!?$G PIECE OF S%? I'M GONNA RIP OUT YOUR £&!# AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR %&$?& %#%!# &#&% $£ £€ $€!!!" As you could imagine, she was NOT one to negotiate with at this point.

Then, still in her pissed-off state, Craigmirra rushed towards Ignacio, as her arms were spinning around in a blur. "Pink Typhoon of the Kawaii Umbrella!!!" Then, just when she got right next to Ignacio, she unleashed a violent flurry of punches and kicks, and Ignacio was completely unable to avoid it, taking every hit that Craigmirra dished out at him.

At this point, Zugai, Jin and Krystal could only gape at the immense violence going on before them. "Um… which one of them was on our side?" Krystal asked, as she merely blinked in awe.

"I forgot…" Jin added in, as he sometimes even winced in pain at the injuries Ignacio sustained. Only Zugai had nothing to say, as he looked at the battle with increasing interest. Jin noted this, but didn't say anything about it.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Craigmirra threw one last punch at Ignacio, sending him flying straight into the ice stairs KC and Jin had created earlier, shattering it as he crashed on the harbor. "Yeah, that's what you get for touching my hair!" she yelled, before she began heaving for her breath. Then, she turned around to face Zugai and the others, and smiled innocently, her monstrous facial features gone. "So how did I do?"

There was silence for a good while. No one seemed to know what to respond with, and the violent out-lash from Craigmirra had put their tongues in a bind. That was when Zugai began laughing heartily. "You're honestly not going to stop asking, are you?" he said between laughing fits, as he began walking towards his room. "I gotta say; you'll become a good pirate with the Cross Skull Pirates as your crew!" Then, he entered his room to get some well-earned sleep.

Both Jin and Krystal sighed, as they shook their heads. "Well, looks like you're coming along with us after all." Jin sighed, as he yawned. "Zugai's really hard to figure out, right?" he added, before he followed his captain into the sleeping room.

"I think it'd be best if you went to your house and packed what you need, though." Krystal said, as she headed for the girls room. "We won't know how long we'll be at sea, so you could be gone from your home for years, you know." Then, she entered the room, leaving Craigmirra by herself.

With that, Craigmirra leapt off the deck, and began heading into town, but not before stopping beside Ignacio's body. "Thanks for helping me out. The plan worked just fine!" she said, which made Ignacio suddenly leap off the ground.

"Glad I could help, _señorita_." he said, as he brushed the dust off his clothes. "Are you sure you'll be fine with them?" he added, as he walked towards the edge of the harbor.

"I'll be fine; Zugai's the captain, isn't he?" Craigmirra laughed as a response, before she went into town to pack up. With a smirk, Ignacio turned into a sheet, before he let the wind carry him towards the horizon…

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**Zugai Hibiware – **Captain/Shipwright/Blacksmith

**Nampu Kiyasui – **First Mate

**KC Boom – **Swordsman

**Krystal Gem – **Sniper

**Jinketsu Namura – **Navigator

**Shin Mikage – **Cook/Hunter

**Little Lady Craigmirra – **Obligatory Cute Mascot

**A/N: **Well, with a new crewmate, the story continues! Who knows how long it will be before they reach the Grand Line? Well, it'll happen before the 30th chapter, that's for sure! XD Well, be sure to read and review, and I'll see you then!

**YolkaEd**


	17. A Play Gone Wrong part 1

Two days after Howling Moon had set sail from Ajito Island, and Count Megtapos' life had been claimed from him, we find ourselves on an island a fair distance away from that island. This is Shigusa Island, a place where theatrical performances are revered as a form of art more successful than anything imaginable.

However, in one of the larger buildings, things weren't as hopeful as one would imagine. Inside of it, a short, balding man was pacing in panic around his office, holding a piece of paper in his hand. "Oh, mercy me, whatever shall I do?" he clamored, as he looked at the paper with fear in his eyes. Written on the paper were a few words, which the man felt was something he'd rather do without.

_I want a good screening of the Maria and Draco opera,_

_so you'd better make it good next week, or else..._

_Manigordo_

"Oh, sweet gods, what will I do?!" the man whined, as he leaned against the wall for support. "Normally, I'd accept this kind of challenge, but the actress playing Maria has been plagued by sickness since the end of last month, and the male leads have retired from the business! I cannot even begin to imagine what that horrid bounty hunter would do to me…"

Just then, something began beeping, as the man turned around to see a Den Den Mushi making beeping noises, indicating an incoming call. Sighing, he walked towards the snail, and grabbed its receiver, before composing himself. "Yes, what is it?" he finally said, speaking into the receiver.

"Sir, we caught someone sneaking around outside the manor, and we suspect that it might be this reclusive bounty hunter that's sent you the threat! Shall we have him executed?" the snail responded, to which the man suddenly irked in shock about. However, he quickly calmed himself down, before clearing his throat.

"Send him up first; I want to at least see this man." was all he said, before he hung up, making the snail fall asleep. Soon, two guards emerged from a door behind the man, holding someone between them. The captive in question was wearing a dark jacket, which covered a loose T-shirt, along with matching jeans held up by a belt housing a pair of daggers; one of them double-edged, the other one shaped as a crescent moon. A bandana was also bound around the person's head, hiding whatever hair he could possibly have. As the captive looked at the man, he instantly gasped in awe. "You're… you're just what I need!"

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Play Gone Wrong part 1**

**Unexpected Reunion on the Island of Acting!**

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Two days after the fight against Ignacio and the christening of the Cross Skull Pirates (or one day after, if you want to be picky), the Howling Moon was now set on its course for the Grand Line, but first, they would have to make a stop at Shigusa Island, as per Jin's directions. Right now, in the kitchen of the ship, he was busy explaining to KC, Nampu and Shin just why Craigmirra was with them.

"So, let me get this straight…" KC started, as he tapped the blunt edge of one of his falcatas against his forehead. "Some crazed Spaniard comes along to fight against Zugai, and then the little girl kicked his ass whilst we were sleeping?"

Jin nodded, as he leaned backwards on his chair, whilst he drank a glass of water. "Yep, that's about right. Me and Krystal showed up some time in the middle of it, as I told you."

Shin laughed at this, as she put three plates with pancakes at the table, one plate for each of the crewmembers there. "Man, of all the times I decided to sleep through something, and it has to be during a fight on this ship. You could at least have woken me up, ya know!" she said, before she went back to the stove, preparing another batch of pancakes.

"But I just don't get it…" Nampu mused, as he began eating his share of the food. "Whoever heard of a tiny little girl like that suddenly freaking out like that on a whim? It just sounds too surreal to me, but if it had been the Grand Line, it'd make more sense."

Jin nodded, as he yawned, the battle having robbed him of some crucial sleep. "Well, I couldn't believe it myself, really. I think it's just something you would have to see for yourself. But I still wonder just what that guy really wanted…"

KC yawned as well, as he had finished his portion of the meal. "Does it really matter?" he said, as he lifted the plate from the table, and handed it to Shin. "What really matters is that we finally have a crew name! If that guy hadn't been fighting you, you should've thanked him."

Nampu also handed Shin his plate, but sighed. "But still, _Cross Skull_?" he said in a disappointed tone. "I mean, it's not that it's cool, but it really doesn't say anything about the crew or his abilities as a whole! Why not, oh, I don't know, _Bleached Axe_, or _Deranged_ _Orthopedic_, or what about _Bonehead_?"

Shin laughed, as she stacked some pancakes on a plate, before heading out of the kitchen. "That last one more or less applies to you, doesn't it, Nampu?" she said in a sing-song tone, earning her a exasperated growl. "Well, I need to go get our captain some grub; he hasn't come out of his workshop since we set sail."

As she left, KC scratched his head in wonder. "Yeah, now that I think about it, didn't you say that the Spaniard managed to break Zugai's axe in two?" he asked, to which Jin nodded.

"I don't know how it happened, but the blade of the axe was separated from the handle." he said, as he massaged his temples. "But how could anyone break off that axe, anyway? The thing must weigh something around a ton, at least!"

The exaggerated guess caused Nampu to snicker a little, before he calmed himself. "It's not really a ton, but… well, he did build and finish Honehakaisha not too long after those pirates attacked our home, and he's made sure to keep it in just the right shape. I doubt he's gonna leave his favorite weapon in pieces like that."

Outside, on the deck, Krystal was busy practicing her aim with the bow, all while being watched by Craigmirra. After holding the string of her bow for what seemed like hours, she finally let go of it, sending the arrow she had been holding flying into the ocean, the ensuing explosion sending a rain of fish flying at them. "Well, looks like we got dinner for tonight!" she said happily, as she wiped her brow.

"Wow, that was cool!" Craigmirra chimed, as she ran up to Krystal, grabbing her leg. "So, do you think I could try shooting with the bow, Krystal? Well? Please? Come on, be a sport!" she said in a very annoying tone, all whilst hugging Krystal's leg tightly.

"Sorry, Craigmirra, but…" Krystal began, as she shook her leg a little to get Craigmirra off it, to no avail. "This is very dangerous stuff, and…" Again, she shook her leg, but Craigmirra held onto it for dear life. "Kids your age shouldn't be messing with stuff like- WOULD YOU LET GO OF MY LEG, NOW?!"

As she walked past the pair, Shin couldn't help but laugh again. "G'morning, Krys, g'morning, Cirra!" she said in a jovial tone, which broke the tension between Krystal and Craigmirra. "I was just on my way to give Zugai something to eat, since he's been locked inside his workshop ever since we left Circo Island."

Hearing mention of Zugai's name, Craigmirra immediately let go of Krystal, before instinctively latching onto Shin's leg. "Lead the way, Shin! We're the food delivery pair!" she said happily, as she began making propeller noises as Shin walked towards the other side of the ship, where she found a door with a note posted on it saying "ZUGAI'S WORKSHOP! IF I'M IN HERE, THEN DO NOT DISTURB!" Giggling, Shin prepared to knock on the door, still holding the plate of pancakes…

"IT'S FINISHED!!!" Suddenly, the door was flung open, which immediately sent Shin flying backwards, also sending the plate and Craigmirra flying upwards. Seeing this, Krystal quickly ran for the plate, catching it as it fell, but unfortunately, Craigmirra's fall was dampened by her back, as both of them crashed down as a result. As all three women came to, they saw Zugai in the doorway, who was swinging a completely-fixed Honehakaisha in his arms. "Honehakaisha has been reborn, ladies and gentlemen… who happen to be completely absent." Just then, Zugai took note of the chaos he had caused, as he scratched his neck in embarrassment. "Ehehehehe… sorry?"

-----------------------

Some time later, in the kitchen, the entire crew was sitting around the table, all of them looking at a map lying on it (with the exception of Craigmirra, who was fetching a bag of ice for Zugai, who had taken quite a beating from Krystal and Shin). "So, it's called Shigusa Island, right?" KC asked, as he pointed at an island not too far from Lougetown.

"Yep, that's it." Jin answered, as he pointed at Ajito Island. "While I was working under the Count, I was thinking of the best route I could take to get to the Grand Line, and since I knew Alcedonia and Circo Island beforehand, they would be ideal places to get provisions from before I would begin the journey."

Nampu nodded, as he scratched his chin. "But if we were stocking up at Alcedonia and Circo, wouldn't it cut it just to go directly to Lougetown? I mean, if we ignore Shigusa, there really isn't any harm done, is there?"

At that moment, Jin began laughing hesitantly. "Well, to be honest, the only reason I actually picked Shigusa as a location, is because the play's there are some of the best in the world! I only got a small glimpse of one of the plays whilst on a mission for the Count, but since I'm free, I figured I could at least see one of the plays there…"

There was silence, as the crew could only gape at Jin in complete surprise. "For being a navigator, you sure are easily side-tracked." Shin muttered, as she leant against her chair, which only got some more hesitant laughing, but it was weaker than the previous laugh.

"Well, it can't be helped." Zugai finally said, his wounds having cooled down at last. "To tell you guys the truth, I've always wanted to see one of those plays as well, so it can't hurt us to go there, right?" he added with a smile.

The rest of the crew looked at their smiling captain, and collectively nodded, agreeing silently. "Well, it won't take that long, I guess…" Krystal said, as she suddenly pulled out a poster from out of nowhere, slamming it on the map. "And besides, they're playing the famous romance-play Maria and Draco! It's cited by some to be the most heartwarming theatric display of any period of time, and I just NEED to see it!" she added, the last part sounding more or less like an obsessed teenager (though to be fair, she is one).

"Well, then I guess we've agreed!" Jin spoke up, as he removed the poster from the map, before rolling it together. "We'll be arriving on Shigusa Island in less than an hour, so prepare yourselves for one hell of a show!"

------------------------------

As they arrived on Shigusa Island, the Cross Skull Pirates were surprised to see how lively this island was, even though the dock wasn't near a town or anything of the sort. Many vendors selling various types of food and drinks, and what seemed to be some sort of carnival for the kids (which was understandable; the plays tended to be a little too violent for kids their ages).

However, the crew didn't really let it get to them, as Zugai, KC, Krystal, Jin and Craigmirra were walking towards a slope leading up to some buildings, but Jin stayed behind to see that Nampu and Shin weren't tagging along. "You guys sure you don't wanna watch it?" Jin called after them.

"I'll pass, thank you." Shin called back, as she looked back at Howling Moon. "I'm not too sure if some crooks might think of making off with this ship, because if they did, we'd be in serious trouble, wouldn't we? So, I'll just make sure no one gets any ideas."

Nampu looked over at Jin, and shrugged. "Honestly, I'm not really that much into operas and the like. I'll just see if I can't leech in on that carnival instead." he said with a snicker. "But you guys have fun now!" Jin nodded once he heard the last part, as he quickly followed the others up the slope.

"The carnival?" Shin said with a laugh, as she looked over at Nampu. "What are you, six? You could make yourself useful and help me set up some defense around here, instead of goofing around with a bunch of toddlers." As she saw Nampu scratch his cheek in embarrassment, she sighed, as she turned around, when she caught eye of three strangers sticking out in the crowd like a sore thumb.

One of them had short, brown hair, and was wearing a wide-brimmed hat, that only barely hid his green eyes. He was also wearing a black trenchcoat, and it was easy to see that he towered two heads over his two companions. The second man, the shortest of the three, had blue hair, but its style was very peculiar; it was short on the backside, but in front, it was exceptionally long, with the exception of his bangs, which only reached down to just below his eyes; most of it went down below his shoulders. He was also wearing a black vest over his shirtless body, along with a pair of black shorts and sandals.

The third one, however, was the one sticking out the most; his black hair was in the shape of a Mohawk, and a black headband surrounded his forehead. A brown jacket, blue pants and black shoes was what consisted of his wardrobe, but on his belt was a small bag hanging from it, as well as two gun holsters, each housing a gun each. On the right side of his neck, there was a dagger holstered, and as she squinted, Shin could make out a sword sticking out of the sleeve of the jacket's left arm. Overall, the person seemed to be very crooked and lanky in his physique. However, she didn't get to ponder about it that much, because the man suddenly turned his head towards her, prompting her to look away.

_What was with that guy? _Shin thought, as she tried to regain her composure. _Something about him is just intimidating… Maybe it was the eyes? _However, as she turned around to see if the trio still was there, she saw absolutely nothing. "Where'd they go…?"

------------------------------

As the group got to the top of the slope, they were greeted by a massive building in front of them. "That's the Opera House!" Jin said excitedly, as he rubbed his eyes a little, to see that he wasn't dreaming. "I haven't been here for so long, and soon, I'll be setting foot inside!"

KC looked at the house, and grinned. "It sure looks big, I gotta say." he said, as he began walking towards the house. "Wonder if it's just as big inside as it is outside…" However, as he walked up to the house, he failed to notice someone in front of him. Soon, that certain someone had grabbed KC by the collar of his t-shirt, and lifted him off the ground. "Hey, what gives?!"

"You shall not pass beyond these gates, wretched fool!" the person said with a deep and distorted voice, as it turned out to be a humongous piece of armor, looking even more terrifying than the Wicked Knight looked, with actual steam emitting from underneath the visor. Suddenly, it noticed the rest of the group running up to it, and dropped KC to the ground. "Do you cretins come to seek a battle?"

Zugai growled, as he grabbed Honehakaisha from his back, and held it at the ready. "I don't like people who mess with my friends, so unless you want your ass handed to you, then you'd better scram, knight face!" As he spoke, the rest of the group got into fighting stances, as Krystal drew her bow, KC reached for his falcatas, Jin's fists encased themselves with water, and Craigmirra produced a small, pink bubble from her palm.

"That voice…" the knight muttered, as it looked over at Zugai. "It couldn't be… no, it's gotta be you! Zugai, it's me, remember?" Everyone suddenly lowered their weapons in confusion, as they looked at Zugai, who was wondering if the knight was talking to him. "Oh, for crying out…" Then, the knight grabbed hold of the visor of the helmet, and lifted it up, revealing a face Zugai (and everyone present save for Craigmirra) knew far too well.

"CHRIS!" As it turned out, the knight was indeed Chris, her eyes still containing the same mischievous glint they had the last time she had met Zugai and his crew. "Chris, I finally found you!" Zugai spoke up, as he walked towards the armor-clad thief. "What happened? You just disappeared without a trace after we finished up on Ajito Island, so I didn't get to-" Suddenly, a bell began ringing, and Chris snapped her fingers in annoyance.

"Damn, rehearsal's starting again." she muttered, as she turned around. "We can reminiscence later, but I got something to do now. Later!" Then, she put her visor back in place, as she began trotting away, the heavy armor making it difficult for her to move naturally. "Damn, I knew I should have tried the slimmer suit of armor…"

The group looked after Chris as she left, all of them wondering just what was going on. Only Craigmirra didn't seem to get it. "Hey, Zugai, who was that guy?" she asked, as she tugged Zugai's hoodie jacket.

"Oh, he's a friend we met on an island before we met you and Shin." Zugai said, as he looked down at Craigmirra. "But that doesn't matter right now. I'm just glad I can finally give him back his hat."

Krystal shook her head, as she remembered how Chris had helped Zugai and KC after Krystal's battle with Shageki back on Ajito Island. "I don't really see why you would go out of your way to make sure he got some hat back. I mean, it's a hat! It's not like it's some sort of family heirloom…"

Jin only laughed, as he remembered when he, Zugai and Chris were locked inside of the Megtapos Family Vault. "Well, that's our captain for ya! Now, let's hurry up, before the tickets run out." The group nodded collectively once they heard that, as they all entered.

However, on the second floor, someone had seen the group's encounter with Chris, and he was now giggling hysterically. "I can't believe it… more people with the qualities I need! This play will be a success!"

-----------------------------------------

**A/N: **Right, this was meant to come out earlier, but procrastination stood in my way, which is a true shame, as this arc has been on my waiting list for a good damn while, now! Points to those who can see what I blatantly sto-*COUGHCOUGH* I mean, based the concept of this arc from. Well, hope you enjoy, and I'll be seeing ya!

**YolkaEd**


	18. A Play Gone Wrong part 2

The trio that Shin had spotted earlier was now heading up a different slope from where Zugai's group was headed, even though the slopes would lead to the same buildings anyway. The man with the wide-brimmed hat took a brief moment to look down on the field below them, before walking next to the man with the Mohawk. "Hey, who were you looking at down there?" he asked in a blunt tone, to which the Mohawk-man only laughed softly.

"It was nothing, Vraspos." he replied, as he looked up towards the cliff, before looking back at their partner. "Yo, Akira. Didn't you say you had a sister?" he asked, to which Akira suddenly coiled in slight shock, before he calmed himself.

"Well, yeah, I did have a sister…" he began, as he looked up to the clouds. "I haven't seen her in ages, but I'm going to find her some day." This sentence, touching as it may have been, still drew a snicker from the Mohawk-guy, much to Akira's shock. "Hey, what gives, Morte? It's not like you're being motivated by something like that to fulfill your work! What about you, Vraspos? Got any dreams you want to fulfill?"

Vraspos turned his head so he could get a good glance of Akira, before merely shaking his head. "I don't think my dream has anything to do with my performance in the field, Akira. All I care about is vengeance, and nothing more." The coldness in his reply actually sent shivers down Akira's spine, whilst Morte only continued laughing.

"Who cares if vengeance or dreams is the driving force of a man?" Morte said with a calm tone, as he spun around to face Akira, revealing an x-shaped scar on his left cheek. "What matters is getting the job done, hopefully as quickly as possible. Because that's why we're bounty hunters." Then, he spun around again, sticking his hands in his pockets, as he looked up towards the Opera House. "But now… let's enjoy the show."

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Play Gone Wrong part 2**

**A Merciless Killer, Manigordo!**

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As the group entered the Opera House, they were struck with awe with how large and fancy the building was on the inside; the three-story building was decorated with dozens of expensive paintings and carpets hung up on the walls, and many of the well-lit halls were going straight into the auditorium, where the plays were preformed before the audience. "Wow, this is huge!" Krystal said in awe, as she looked around her.

"It sure is." KC nodded, as he too looked around him. "I think it would be difficult to live in such a huge place, though; you'd never figure out where the kitchen was."

Jin snickered a little at KC's remark, as he walked up to Zugai. "Well, captain, shall we see if we can't find the ticket vendor?" he asked, but before he could get a reply, he heard someone rush down a flight of stairs. "What the…?"

Just then, the sound of someone slipping, before tumbling all the way down another flight of stairs was audible. As the crew wondered just who this could be, they saw someone crash-land straight at the bottom of a spiraling staircase right in front of them. "Ow… My goodness, who put that banana peel in my way?" the man muttered, as he got up, before turning to see Zugai's group in front of him.

The man was short in stature, only ranging half a head over Craigmirra, and his head showed clear signs of balding. He also had a toothbrush moustache, and a pointed goatee, and his attire consisted of a black suit, complete with a tie with the kanji for "evil" scribbled all over it. However, as foreboding as his appearance was, he didn't seem like any sort of threat. "Ah, welcome to Shigusa Opera House, where the finest plays in East Blue are given the special treatment! I am Roux Hareng, manager of this fine establishment." Then, he immediately made a bee-line towards Krystal, and grabbed her hand gently. "It is an honor to have you here, I must say." he added, as he was about to kiss the hand, until two fists simultaneously punched him back into the staircase, the fists belonging to KC and Krystal, respectively.

"Don't even think about getting intimate with me, shorty." Krystal said threateningly, as she looked over at Zugai. "Come on, let's get away from this creep and find the ticket booth." However, as the group was about to move, Roux quickly got up again, and waved his hands defensively in front of him.

"No, no, you've completely mistaken! It was a honorable gesture, that is all!" he said quickly, but he only got a glare from the group, which told him that he'd best get on with what he wanted. "Well… I noticed you five coming in here, and I noticed one person that just stuck out in my mind…" Then, he suddenly pointed his finger straight at Krystal. "You! How would you like to be a star for one night?"

Everyone suddenly did a double-take, shocked at this kind of question. "Wait, what?" Krystal asked once she regained her composure. "A star? How are you supposed to be able to-"

"You see, my friends," Raux began, effectively cutting off Krystal, "we have a unfortunate shortage in cast, and we need someone to star in the role of Maria, and I when I saw that woman, I knew that she would be perfect for the role! So, what do you say?"

There was silence. "Look, pal, it's very nice of you," Zugai began, "but I don't think we got the time to-" Suddenly, before he could finish, Krystal ran up to Raux, grabbed his hand, and shook it violently.

"You can count me in, mister!" she said enthusiastically, before she looked around. "Where's the changing room? I need to get into costume!" As Roux pointed to a room on the second floor, Krystal quickly stormed up the stairs, rushing into the changing room before anyone could even blink.

"Right…" Raux muttered, as he was a little shocked due to Krystal's immediate acceptance. "Anyway, we also seem to be lacking an actor to fill in the role of Draco in the play, so would any of you happen to show any interest in the role?"

The group eyed Roux with curiosity. "Look, I hate to be rude…" Zugai began, as he scratched his neck in annoyance. "But wouldn't it be better to find someone that qualifies as a good actor, instead of just asking random people you've known for less than five minutes?"

Roux nodded, as he began stroking his goatee. "Well, how about this… if one of you will play the role of Draco, then the rest of you will have free access to the opera when it begins, as well as having full access to anything in the stands. What do you say to that?"

Immediately as he had said that, all four of the pirates before him began nodding, as they all shouted "We'll do it!" But once they had said that, Jin suddenly began thinking. "But if only one can be Draco… who should it be?" he said, which got the rest of the group's attention.

"I got an idea!" Craigmirra suddenly yelled, as she turned away from the group, and began making some mumbling noises, before she turned around again, holding three pink bubbles in her hands. "In one of these bubbles is a strand of hair! The one who gets the one with the hair inside can play as Drake!" Then, she blew the bubbles into the air, as they floated above Jin, KC and Zugai.

KC quickly drew one of his falcatas, as he quickly stabbed at the bubble directly above him, making it burst, but nothing fell out of it. As he muttered in annoyance, Jin had grabbed his bubble with a water sphere, making sure that it wouldn't pop just yet. As he examined the bubble to find any sort of hair, Zugai merely plucked one of his phalanges from his right hand, as he stabbed at his bubble with it, making a single strand of hair land on his shoulder.

"It's decided!" Craigmirra yelled again, which made Jin's bubble spontaneously burst. "Zugai got the strand of hair, and he's gonna play Dirk now!" As she said this, KC sighed in annoyance, as he looked over at Zugai with a simple nod.

Zugai noted this, and nodded back. "Don't worry, I won't do anything any of us will regret later on." he said, as he went up the stairs, before nearly walking into the changing room, but suddenly stopping right outside it.

"W-what's wrong?" Roux asked, some concern in his voice. "You're not having second thoughts, are you?"

Zugai shook his head, as he smiled weakly at the group down below. "I just need to know… is that the changing room for females only?" he said with a weak laugh, causing the entire group to collapse on the ground out of complete shock.

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One hour had passed, and the Opera House was starting to get crowded, since the show was soon ready to go. Of course, even if it was crowded, Roux had gotten Jin, KC and Craigmirra VIP seats on the third floor, high above all the other paying attendants. "It's so HUUUUUUUUGE!" Craigmirra said in awe, as she looked down at the scene. "And there are so many people!"

KC nodded, as he turned over to face Roux, who was cleaning his forehead with a handkerchief. "So, what was the play about again?" he asked out of boredom.

"Oh, it is a classic tale of true love!" Roux began, his voice laden with enthusiasm. "The war between the East and the West culminates in the East, led by Ralse, taking control over Draco's castle, thus making the lovely Maria his prisoner. But Ralse, in reality, loves Maria as much as Draco loves her, and arranges a wedding for the two, even though Maria's heart still belongs to Draco, though he may be dead as a result of the war!"

Jin nodded, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "But on the eve of the wedding, a rebel strike force led by Draco storms the castle, and Draco strikes down Ralse in a climatic showdown, and he and Maria then lives together in happiness." Then, he wiped his index finger over his right eye. "It gets you teary-eyed just thinking about it, right?"

KC laughed a little, as he looked down at the scene again. "Well, not really, but that may be just me…" Then, he grew a little worried, as he looked over at Roux again. "There isn't going to be any kissing scenes, right?"

"Well, there was supposed to be one," Roux began, as he skimmed through a copy of the script he had on his person, "but neither of your friends wanted to go through it during rehearsal, so we cut it down to a hug. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason." Kc replied, as he sighed in relief. _Thank goodness for that, I say…_ he thought, as suddenly, the music began playing, and the narrator began explaining the story.

"Look, there he is!" Craigmirra spoke up, as she pointed at the stage. Now, there was a lone person on the scene, clad in armor, thus hiding his face, but what made it clear that it was Zugai was that he still carried Honehakaisha with him. Soon, a few other men in armor surrounded him, but he struck them away without using his weapon. Then, as the armored men ran off the stage, Zugai looked towards the crowd, as he held his left hand before his chest.

"_Oh Maria! _

_Oh Maria! _

_My beloved, do you hear _

_My words whispered in your ear _

_As if I were by your side…_"

As Zugai sung those words in tune with the music, Craigmirra nearly swooned. "My God, he has the loveliest voice I've ever HEARD!" she chimed, as she began cheering Zugai on. Then, more soldiers approached from behind the stage, and Zugai had to walk off the stage, as they gave pursuit. "Wait, no, Zugai! You can take them, so get back into it!"

"Even though your friend may be able to take them," Roux began, as he shook his head, "Draco had already been weakened by continuous fighting, and if he had died there, he wouldn't be able to meet Maria later on. Now, soon your other friend's big scene is coming up…"

"Say, Hareng…" Jin suddenly spoke up, as he looked at Roux. "You didn't pick us just because you thought we had talent. You're desperate to pull this off. Why is that?" he asked, which got Craigmirra and KC's attention.

"Wha- what are you talking about?" Roux said weakly, as he began laughing. "I have no idea what you're…" He grew silent, as his expression grew grim. "I'm a horrible liar, am I not?" he sighed, as he rubbed his temples. "I have to let this be pulled off without any problems, or he'll have my head for sure."

Jin blinked, as he tried to read Roux's expression, to no avail. "Who'll have your head… pray tell?" he asked, as Roux suddenly shuddered.

"He's known as serial killer around here, though he tries to gloss it off as bounty hunting. Out of all the men I have heard of, none have even come close to his ruthlessness. Rumors go around that he's the one responsible for hospitalizing that old woman on Alcedonia Island, as well. That's what kind of person he is; he cares for nothing but the successive performance of his own goals, and will sacrifice anyone who stands in his way… The bounty hunter known as Manigordo." he said in a horrified, yet stern voice, as he got concerned looks from KC, Jin and Craigmirra.

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As the opera continued, two people seemingly made their way to the restroom, but in reality, they went up to the third floor, towards the part above the scene where the lights and sandbags were stored when not in use. "So, you sure that this will work, Dojang?" one of them asked the other. He was wearing black pants, a long brown trenchcoat that covered his shirtless body, along with brown boots. His hair was dark-blond and spiky, and his eyes were green.

"Have I ever been wrong in my calculations, Sir Card Shark?" Dojang replied, as he looked around him. He was wearing a wide-brimmed straw-hat that shadowed his eyes, and a black, high-collared, sleeveless Chinese shirt with drapes on the front and back, along with a picture of a golden oriental dragon on it. He also wore black, baggy pants and straw sandals. His shoulders were very wide, and black wristbands adorned his large arms.

Card Shark looked over at Dojang, before grinning wickedly. "It's not that I doubt ya, it's just that I hunger for a challenge! So, the odds of success are 27% out of a hundred, right?"

Dojang nodded, as the two traversed the walkway. "Give or take, depending if our target moves away." he replied calmly, as the two stopped near a giant weight.

Then, Card Shark began laughing, as he threw his fists into the air. "That's what I love about low chances; it's so much more satisfactory when it's pulled off perfectly! Now, let's get ready for Operation: Assassinate Maria!"

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**A/N: **Hoo boy, loads of characters to cover. Well, Card Shark and Dojang are shaped by **Nezumimaru**, Akira is created by **NeoGene**, and Vraspos is created by **Colton M. H.** So, let's give it up for them, and I'll be seeing you for the next part! And no, nobody got it right just yet. XD

**YolkaEd**


	19. A Play Gone Wrong part 3

On the front row, Morte, Akira and Vraspos had found themselves some good seats to watch the opera from. However, Akira was the only one who seemed excited about the opera; Morte seemed bored out of his skull, and Vraspos' expression was near-impossible to determine. Just as Zugai began singing on stage, Morte's head jerked upwards, noting something different. "Something wrong, Morte?" Vraspos asked, as he gave his other sideman a nudge with his shoulder to signify that he had to move over to give Vraspos more space, though he took up most of it.

"Nah, nothing…" Morte replied, as his head fell down on his fist again, watching in boredom. "I just noticed that they got a new Draco for the play. They usually don't do that."

Akira's overexcited exterior began to fade, as he watched the singing knight with interest, before he was chased off-stage. "For some reason… doesn't he remind me of…" Then, he pulled out a list of wanted posters, and skimmed through it with interest in his eyes.

"Akira, what are you doing?" Vraspos said in a annoyed tone, as he first gave his sideman a heel in his toe, thus giving him more space, before looking over at his partner. "We're not chasing anyone yet, you know."

"I know, but…" Akira replied, as he continued skimming through the wanted posters. "I just know that I know that actor from somewhere…" Suddenly, someone ripped the posters out of Akira's hands, effectively ruining his concentration.

"Forget about that for a second." Morte's calm voice said, as he stuffed the posters within his jacket. "We're here to relax and enjoy the opera, not worry our minds with pointless dribble like that." Then, he allowed a small chuckle to escape his lips, as he listened to the narrator explaining the fate of the West. "You remind me too much of when I started out in the business, Akira. It's sort of annoying, so drop the good student act."

Vraspos nodded as Morte said this. "There is a time and place for everything, and right now, bounty hunting isn't suitable for the time or the place." he said in a stern tone, as he gave his sideman a stern glare from underneath his wide-brimmed hat, which made the man run off in a huff.

"But still, the new actor intrigued me." Morte spoke up, as he opened a single eye. "He's been different from other actors in the role, as if he's not doing it for fame or anything of the sort…" Then, a smirk slowly crawled up his cheek. "I think this opera will be quite interesting to watch."

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Play Gone Wrong part 3**

**Crescent Dagger vs. Bone Destroyer!**

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Up on the VIP seats, the tension was fairly high; Roux was twiddling his thumbs in utter silence, KC and Craigmirra looked on at the opera with increasing interest, and Jin was sitting in his own thoughts, wondering about the man Roux had mentioned before.

_That's what kind of person he is; he cares for nothing but the successive performance of his own goals, and will sacrifice anyone who stands in his way… The bounty hunter known as Manigordo._

_Manigordo… _The word had imprinted itself within Jin's mind, and he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he got from the name. He knew that he had heard it somewhere, but… where exactly had he heard it? Then, he suddenly opened his eyes, remembering something from when he still worked for Count Megtapos.

"_Soon, the day will come, Jin, my boy…" Megtapos said with a smirk, as he glanced at Steel Scythe's bounty poster, blowing a smoke ring from his cigar. "When Tyches gives us the proper funding, the East Blue will be under the complete control of the Megtapos Family."_

_Jin looked at his boss, and nodded, though the action sickened him. "Yes, boss. But, what good is control of the East Blue? Aside from the Pirate Kings and their crewmates, this sea is home to some of the weakest pirates known to man. Surely, that won't warrant credit from the rest of the Family?"_

_Megtapos chuckled a little, before breaking into a laugh. "I don't need their credit. Hell, they may even look down on me for ruling this sea, but with this sea under my control, I can put a leash on some of the most dangerous men on any of the Blues… including Manigordo."_

_Jin tilted his head in confusion. "Manigordo? What is that, some sort of dish?" he said in a calm tone, but Megtapos could tell that he was joking, so he broke into laughter again._

"_Manigordo is a bounty hunter, but unlike others, he is ruthless, and won't hesitate to kill his targets if he's in a bad enough mood, even though he knows the penalty for bringing a dead bounty in." Megtapos said, as he blew out another puff of smoke. "He's also known to have a low tolerance for imperfection, and he's killed people simply because they didn't meet his expectations. Most people don't see it coming, either; they say he's as silent as a panther and as agile as a leopard, and people even say that when he moves in for the kill, they heard nothing but a-"_

"BOOM!" The sudden call from his friend brought Jin back to reality, as he noticed Craigmirra and KC bickering about something. "I told you, it's Boom, not Bum!" KC said defensively, to which Craigmirra only replied to by sticking her tongue out.

"My, aren't you two a match made in heaven." Jin said playfully, which earned him a doubled set of glares aimed at him. "What, did I touch a nerve?" he added, this being more cocky and mocking, but at the same time playful.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" both KC and Craigmirra yelled at the same time, as they lunged at Jin, all of them ending up in a comedic three-way brawl, with Jin seemingly winning, until KC locked him down with one of his swords, when Craigmirra suddenly unleashed a hail of bubbles, and-

"Enough, already!" Roux yelled with an annoyed tone, as he looked over at the trio, who immediately calmed themselves down, before taking their seats. "My apologies, but I am worried for not only mine, but your friends safety as well!" he added, but the part with the word 'friends' got Jin's attention, who looked over at Roux with a scanning glare.

"Friends safety? What are you saying?" he asked, now exchanging looks from Roux to the scene, where Krystal was now performing her main role in the play, which instantly made KC swoon as he heard Krystal's singing voice.

"I am sorry," Roux began, as he looked at the scene, "but unless your friends does a good job for this play, he'll come for me, since I didn't meet his-"

"Didn't meet his expectations…" Jin chimed along with Roux, as he instantly remembered the words the Count had spoken, before he quickly got up from his seat. "Are you saying that he's gonna kill Zugai, Krystal and Chris if he doesn't think it was good enough?!" he yelled, which got both Craigmirra's and KC's attention, both of them shocked upon hearing that their friends were at risk of dying.

"Yes, that is what I'm dreadfully saying." Roux replied, as he burrowed his face in his hands. "And there is nothing I can do about it… I am so sorry!"

Jin looked at the wailing man before him, before he nodded. "KC, Craigmirra! Let's split up and find this Manigordo, before he can do anything to our friends!" he said in a commanding voice, as he turned to face his crewmates, both of them nodding. "Alright, I'll take the second floor!" he said, as he ran towards the staircase, quickly followed by Craigmirra.

"I'll take the first floor! KC, you fix things up here, alright?!" Craigmirra yelled behind her, as she disappeared down below. KC nodded, as he looked around him, trying to find the best possible route to search the floor. "Don't worry, old man; we'll get that bounty hunter before any of you guys gets hurt by him!" he said reassuringly to Roux, before he ran towards the nearest balcony, in order to get a better perimeter of the Opera House.

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On the scene, the play had moved on to the wedding between Maria and Ralse, which was due to begin once the wedding dance had finished. As expected, apart from other dancers, Krystal was forced to dance with a slender piece of armor which played Ralse, but neither of them seemed to be any good at dancing, though in Krystal's case, this was acceptable, as she had been spending more time practicing archery than practicing ballet.

Suddenly, the sound of an explosion startled the dancers, who began scrambling away from the stage, except for Krystal and Ralse. "What is going on?" Krystal yelled, as a soldier ran towards Ralse with panicked eyes.

"Sir, the remnants of the Western army is attacking!" the soldier said in a huff, earning the knight's attention.

"What did you say?" Ralse said demandingly, as he walked closer to the soldier, when three men suddenly ran towards them, one of them being cloaked. As the two other men struck blades against two Eastern soldiers, the cloaked man walked calmly towards Krystal and Ralse, before discarding the cloak surrounding his body, revealing him to be Zugai, still dressed in armor. Then, looking at Krystal, he removed the visor on his helmet, revealing his face to the audience.

"Maria!" he said in pure joy, staying perfectly in character.

Krystal, noting this, suddenly yanked loose from Ralse, and clasped her hands together. "Draco! I knew you'd come for me, my love!" she said as she read the script mentally, but then, she was suddenly shoved away by Ralse.

"Insolent rogue! Knave of the Western Horde!" he said in a over-dramatic voice, but with the knight's distorted voice, it sounded quite sinister. "Would you address my Queen-to-be, Maria?"

Zugai looked at the knight, before shaking his head, pointing Honehakaisha at him. "Never shall you have Maria's hand, Eastern cur! I shall die before that day comes to pass!"

The knight stood silent for some time, before chuckling. "So be it, Draco of the West." he said, as he drew a dagger in the shape of a crescent moon, which got him a confused look from Zugai. Then, he too removed his visor, revealing him to be none other than Chris. "Then we duel."

Without any more words, she quickly dashed towards Zugai, aiming her Crescent Dagger for a blow against Zugai's gut, but Zugai easily parried it with Honehakaisha. Then, however, she drew her double-sided dagger, aiming a blow for Zugai's chest, which actually managed to cut through the cheap metal, leaving a deep scratch in his armor.

_Holy crap! _Zugai thought, as he quickly parried another strike from Chris. _With this cheap metal, it's like I'm not even wearing any protection at all! I hate to do this, but I'd hate for people to discover my powers here…_ Then, he aimed a kick straight at Chris, but she grabbed the incoming foot with her left hand, where he saw that the crescent dagger was hanging like brass knuckles. Ignoring it for the time being, he took advantage of Chris' brief moment of weakness, and promptly slammed the flat side of Honehakaisha into her, sending her flying a few feet away.

However, Chris got back up again fairly quickly, coughing for air, since the blow had knocked the air straight out of her. Then, she flew at Zugai again, slicing her left arm in a horizontal fashion, leaving another cut in Zugai's armor, but this time, she didn't anticipate him aiming a kick right at her head. "Wha-"

The foot slammed into her helmet, creating a mighty gong, which stunned Chris for a few priceless seconds. Just then, Zugai reeled his fist behind him, preparing to recite the next line of the play. "I'll risk my life for the sake of my beloved, Maria!" he yelled, as he threw his fist at Chris.

However, Chris recovered in time to avoid the punch by leaping over the fist, preparing her crescent dagger for a strike. "My love for her exceeds that of any mortal man!" she yelled as well, choosing to stab the dagger into Zugai's shoulder, momentarily forgetting just what Zugai's powers were.

Though he felt the sting of flesh being penetrated, he had hardened his bones to the point where it felt like nothing more but a mosquito bite. "Now, take this!" he yelled, as he swung Honehakaisha's flat side at Chris once more, this time striking her head-on, her helmet visor luckily protecting her face from becoming smashed into pieces. However, she was flung all the way to the other side of the stage, landing on her feet.

Holding her head in pain, Chris lifted the visor away again, and glared at Zugai, whilst spinning her double-sided dagger in her right hand. "Come and get me!" she shouted, as she flung it straight towards Zugai, but it accidentally struck his head so that it was knocked back by the impact.

Several shocked gasps emerged from the crowd, but they died away once they saw Zugai bend his head back into place, as the dagger was lodged in between his teeth. Smirking, he spat the dagger out on the floor, before rushing towards Chris again, Honehakaisha at the ready.

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Back on the third floor, KC was heaving for his breath, as he had run full circle around the balconies, but he had found no one who planned anything particularly suspicious. "Maybe he's on a lower level…" he thought, as he was about to turn away from the balconies, when he noticed something; two men pushing a giant weight on the storage pillars above the stage, and they were aiming it at Krystal, who was standing still whilst watching Zugai's duel with Chris. "No! What are they doing! Maybe one of them is Manigordo!"

Then, he began looking around, until he saw Jin on the floor under him, also heaving for his breath. "Hey, Jin, throw me a bridge to those pillars, will ya?" KC called, as he got Jin's attention. Noticing KC, Jin nodded, before shooting a horizontal pillar of water that stretched from KC's balcony to the two assassins. "Right, here goes… Hyo Mu Pondo Hou!" Then, using a near-identical move as the one he used when he saved Jin from the Lord of the Coast, he shot a wave of ice at the water pillar, freezing it into a bridge.

Quickly, he crossed it, both of his swords held firmly in his hands. However, as he got across, he was noticed by the man with dirty-blonde hair, who quickly drew a Bo staff, swinging it around quite professionally. "Get lost, kid, you're interfering with my chances… No, wait, stay!" Then, he began laughing again, as he drew an ordinary playing card. "You just lowered the chances of us succeeding, and I love it when that happens!" Then, as the card suddenly sparked with energy, he threw it at KC, which caused an explosion upon impact, though not as big so that they would be spotted.

"You fool!" his partner called, as he struggled to move the weight by himself. "What do you think the supports of this little stand would do after you put on such a foolish show?" However, his answer was forcefully pushed on him, as the planks underneath them gave way, sending all three of them plummeting down towards the scene, along with the weight.

On the stage, Zugai and Chris had locked their weapons together, as they fought for supremacy on that field. "Maria is mine, and I will never let you take her away from me!" both of them called, as they suddenly noticed something above them falling, mainly the weight aimed right at Krystal, who hadn't noticed it yet. Then, both of them quickly rushed for Krystal, pushing her away from the weight, which slammed straight into the ground where she once stood.

"What the…" Krystal said in near shock, as she looked up, noticing the still-falling trio. "You two, look out!" However, her words came too late, as both of the assassins crashed on top of Zugai and Chris, knocking them out cold. If the previous scene hadn't made the entire audience gasp in shock, then this one did.

"Oh, my goodness, no!" Roux called from the VIP seats, holding his head in shock. "It's all ruined! How am I supposed to walk away with my life after this?!"

Back on the scene, there was much silence, as Krystal looked at the three fallen men; Card Shark, Dojang and KC, who she suddenly noticed tried to get up. "Neither Draco of the West…" he muttered, as he kept his balance by stabbing the scene with one of his falcatas. "…nor Ralse of the East…" Slowly, he got up on his knees, when Craigmirra rushed in on the scene, passing by Krystal as she helped KC get on his feet. "…shall have fair Maria's hand!" Then, as Card Shark and Dojang got back up, and Jin landed on the stage after surfing down to it, KC pointed his blade at Card Shark, and grinned. "It is KC, The Magic Swordsman, that shall be her groom this day!" As he spoke this line, the blade glowed red, giving his face the same eerie look as on his poster.

Card Shark wiped some dust off his trench coat, before looking at KC with a wicked grin. "Tough words, little man." he said threateningly, as he held a Ace of Spades up to his face. "You just made this mission near-impossible, and that gets me pumped!" Then, the card began sparking with electricity, as Card Shark licked his lips in anticipation. "Now, little magician, DANCE FOR ME!"

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**A/N: **I'm honestly pleased with myself; I made this quicker than any of the more recent chapters I've made these days! And get yourself ready, because the climatic showdown of this arc comes up the next time! How will it end? You find out later, I promise!

**YolkaEd**


	20. A Play Gone Wrong part 4

The tension of the crowd was at its peak, now that both the Magic Swordsman and the Card Shark were facing off against each other, both holding unimaginable power at their fingertips. Even Morte looked at the scene with increasing interest, as did Akira, but for completely different reasons. "M-Morte… that's the Magic Swordsman, worth 22,000,000 Beri!" he said with awe in his voice, as he was barely able to keep his excitement contained. "Come on, let's strike before he notices, and-"

"Leave it." Morte said in a dull tone, as he focused on KC, whose foolhardy smirk was still visible, though the red glow of his falcata made it seem so much more intimidating. "I want to see this guy in action." Then, he looked over at Card Shark, who prepared to fling the card at the ground, whilst Dojang stood right besides him, the area around him distorting itself.

"And what of the shark's partner?" Vraspos asked in a neutral tone, though if one looked closely, one could see a smirk creep up on his face. "We won't get paid extra for killing him, won't we?"

Morte looked over at Vraspos for a while, before returning his gaze towards KC and Card Shark. "Of course you won't. So don't kill him, you hear?" Then, Card Shark threw the card into the ground, creating a explosion that sent tons of dust flying into the sky, creating a smoke-screen of sorts. That was when Vraspos and Akira leaped from their seats, into the smoke cloud. Only Morte remained, as he began chuckling. "Now, the real play begins."

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Play Gone Wrong part 4**

**The Duels in the Opera, and the New Crewmate!**

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KC covered his eyes to protect them from the dust, cursing lightly as he tried to get a good image of Card Shark. "Damn, playing a trick like that… I can't see!" he spat, as his swords glowed a bright blue and red hue, which illuminated the area around him a little.

"Too bad; then you can't see me kicking your ass!" Card Shark's voice rang, as KC jerked his head to his left, only to be forced to block a strike from Card Shark's Bo staff with his ice blade. "What a surprise, you found me! Dojang's Dust Trap is usually a fail-safe, but you gotta be extremely lucky!" His wicked grin only grew even more sinister, as he licked his lips again. "That gets me pumped, ya know?!"

KC blinked in confusion, as the tip of his fire blade began blazing up. "You revealed your location for me, you dumbass!" he suddenly yelled, as the blade shot a stream of fire straight at Card Shark, who was shot out of the smoke screen, before KC followed him.

However, on the outside, he was greeted by something unexpected; a fist made out of clay punching him squarely in the jaw, sending him crashing along the stage. As he got up, he noticed Dojang standing before him, his hands encased in what seemed to be solid clay, which was crumbling from his hand. "You should not have attempted this, young squire." he said calmly, as he switched stance, both palms pointing towards KC. "I, the man they call Dojang, shall send your foolhardy heart to the depths of hell, with my Yochi Yochi no Mi." Then, from out of his palms, grey ooze splattered out on the floor, which began forming into five beings, all of them the same size of KC. Soon, the ooze hardened, as KC realized what they were; they were golems made out of clay. "Royal Moriyaku Golems, attack!"

At once, all five of them leaped for KC, who began spinning his blades to block any attacks they made. However, a sudden call of "Mizu Mizu no Tsunami!" stopped any advances the golems were planning, as they were swept away by a massive tidal wave that somehow didn't affect KC in any way. Turning around, he saw both Jin and Craigmirra preparing for battle. "Don't worry, KC, we'll handle this guy. But you'd best follow the card guy, or we'll lose him!"

Hearing this, KC looked to where Card Shark had been launched, only to see him attempt to walk back-stage, being forced to hold his arm in pain. "Right, I'll deal with him. Thanks!" Then, KC quickly followed Card Shark behind the stage, leaving only Jin, Craigmirra, Krystal, Dojang and the five golems on stage.

"C'mon, let's get fighting, already!" Craigmirra yelled confidently, as she ran up to one of the golems, cupping her hands near her right hip, as a pink energy sphere powered up within it.

"Wait, what?!" Jin suddenly said, as he did a double-take, noting the pink energy within Craigmirra's hand. "Since when the hell could your powers do that?!"

Craigmirra ignored him, as she eyed the golem before her dangerously, the energy in her hands over brimming. "Ravu… Rabu…" she chanted, as a pink aura began surrounding her, the sphere growing even bigger, which even scared the emotionless golem in front of her. "Heart Destruction Wave!!!" Then, she unleashed the energy in her hands as a massive energy attack, striking the golem dead on, as the beam passed straight through the opera house, lasting for well over a full minute, all accompanied by Craigmirra yelling at the top of her lungs.

However, as the beam died out, it became blatantly apparent that it had done no damage whatsoever; not to the building, not to the props, hell, not even to the golem, who was looking at itself with shock, to check if everything was together. "Huh?! How the hell did such a powerful attack not work at all?!" Jin suddenly yelled out of frustration, to which Craigmirra merely turned around to face him, before grinning sheepishly.

"I kinda forgot about it, but…" she stuttered, scratching her head bashfully. "The Ravu Rabu Heart Destruction Wave only works on people with heart and soul, so I can't destroy terrain. And I guess the golems count as terrain, so…" At that moment, both Jin, Dojang, Krystal, the golems, and nearly the entire crowd remaining in the auditorium collapsed out of shock.

"THEN WHY THE HELL DID YOU WASTE SO MUCH TIME ON IT, THEN?! STAY IN FOCUS, DAMNIT!" Jin yelled in comical anger, as Craigmirra laughed a sheepish laugh. However, Jin's expression got even more serious when he saw the golem behind her preparing to kick her. "Hey, Craigmirra, look behi-"

Suddenly, as the golem kicked at her, she instantly grabbed it with her left hand, her hair beginning to tingle, as she glared at the golem with an intimidating glare. "Do ya mind? I was trying to have a CONVERSATION, YOU FU%&?£ $!&¤+ -#[]() SON OF A BITCH!!!" Then, her all too familiar rampage mode kicked in, a pink aura exploding around her, as her eyes glowed menacingly reddish pink, and her blonde hair was literally all over the place. "PINK TYPHOON OF THE KAWAII UMBRELLA~!!!"

Whatever she did to the fear-stricken golem, I'll leave to your imagination, but let me say that if the golem hadn't been a construct forged from earth, the stage would have gotten quite messy. It was so gruesome that even the other golems shuffled away from Craigmirra, and Dojang attempted not to blow chunks at the sight. However, with this moment of weakness, Jin saw an opportunity. "Now you're mine! Mizu Mizu no Barrage!" he yelled, as he leaped towards Dojang, delivering a series of kicks aimed at his head, all augmented by water encased around Jin's legs.

However, upon delivering the final blow, Dojang crumbled into dust, as one of the golems suddenly morphed into Dojang, who merely shook his head. "Do you really think that would be enough to dishearten a warrior like me? Then, my good sir, you are sadly mistaken." Then, out of nowhere, the dust pile behind Jin grabbed his neck from behind, as it slowly turned into a golem.

_Damn, this guy's tricky! _Jin thought, as he tried to escape the grip, but the golem had molded its hands together so that it was more of a leash than a pair of hands, so he didn't succeed in that department. _Wait a moment… if the golem can mold its hands like that, then it has to be consisting of water! If I only could…_ Then, he closed his eyes, as water began flowing out from the top of his head. "Mizu Mizu no… Fountain!" Then, with one swift movement, he jerked his head so that it pointed directly at the golem behind him, as a massive torrent of water gushed out of his head, blasting the golem with such immense force that it literally broke apart from the leash around Jin, letting it fall to the ground with a clunk, as the golem flew off stage and crashed on the third floor. "Well, that didn't go as planned… but I'm free!" he sighed, as he quickly rushed towards Dojang.

"Khh… Don't get cocky, young warrior!" Dojang shouted, as he stabbed his hands through two of his golems, turning them into dust within nanoseconds. Ignoring that, Jin continued running towards Dojang, his right hand building up water around it. "Fool. You should observe the situation before you rush into battle! Repent for your folly, and face the consequences! Double Golem Crush!" Suddenly, as Jin was extremely close to Dojang, the dust piles suddenly reformed into a massive pair of hands, both poised to crush him between the two. "It's over."

Suddenly, as the hands were about to crush Jin, one of them immediately crumbled into dust within the blink of an eye, as the other suddenly stopped in its tracks. "Eh?" Jin looked to his sides, to see Akira actually restraining the hand with his own body, as Vraspos stood opposite of him, clutching a massive Zweihänder in his hands. "Did… you cut that hand up?" Jin asked in a puzzled tone.

"I did." Vraspos said calmly, as he looked over at Dojang with an intimidating glare. "Akira, are you done now?" he said lazily, as he began walking towards Dojang, spinning the sword around menacingly.

"Pretty soon, Vraspos!" Akira replied, as he began walking towards the hand, still pushing it away from him. "Just… need… to… get… a… grip!" Then, clenching his fists within the rock of the hand, he lifted the entire golem hand from the ground, before throwing it towards Dojang.

"Guh!" Quickly, Dojang kicked the hand in mid-air, sending it flying straight towards Vraspos. However, instead of striking him, Vraspos somehow got past the hand within the span of a second, still spinning his sword as if it was a leek. Then, the hand was split into multiple parts, as it became clear that Vraspos had cut through the hand with surprising agility for someone his size. "W-what… what did you do just now?" Dojang asked out of fear, as Vraspos only got closer to him.

"Don't ask any questions." Vraspos said menacingly, as he stopped spinning the Zweihänder, before holding it over his head with one hand. "I don't like you, so you can go to hell for all I care." he added, as he prepared to bring his sword down on Dojang. However, all of a sudden, the final golem leapt onto Vraspos' back, strangling the bigger man.

"You young warriors are too careless!" Dojang yelled in a reprimanding tone. "Do none of you even consider a strike from behind? Your lack of discipline sickens me." Then, as Vraspos struggled to get the golem off him, Dojang looked over at Craigmirra, who was still pounding the remains of the golem with all her fury. "You are next, little girl."

Then, the dust underneath Craigmirra suddenly exploded into a whirlwind, as her cussing was exchanged for helpless screaming, making both Akira and Jin look over at it. Soon, it died out, to reveal a piranha plant-like being made out of earth holding Craigmirra over it with earthly vines. "That is my Yochi Piranha Plant. It will slowly lower the girl into its fangs, where she will be consumed like a bug."

Jin glared at Dojang with anger burning in his eyes, until they heard the sound of someone's bones breaking. Then, he and Akira looked over to see the golem slowly consume Vraspos' body as well, though he was very skilled in holding in his immense pain. "Now, I face you with three options; you can try and kill me, but that will only result in the death of your friends. Either that, or you can try and save one of them, but the other will die a painful death. Choose wisely, and remember, time is running out." he said, as he crossed his arms, eyes closed.

Both Jin and Akira glared at him, before looking at their partners, writhing in either fear or agony. "Damnit… how can we save them both?!" Akira muttered, as he punched his palm in frustration.

Jin looked over at him and nodded briefly. "We'll have to try. You go and help your buddy over there, whilst I go and-" His plan was summarily cut off by the sound of two hits striking a target consecutively. Looking behind them, they saw to their shock that Chris had woken up, and rushed to punch Dojang straight in his gut, as Krystal had taken the opportunity to kick his groin without him watching. "…or, we could wait for those two to deal with him." he said weakly, as he noted the angry looks on both Chris and Krystal's faces.

As Dojang collapsed on the ground in pain, the piranha plant and the golem strangling Vraspos disappeared, both turning into dust. As everyone was looking at Chris and Krystal, they looked at each other briefly, before breaking out laughing. "Well, I guess even damsels in distress need to give the antagonist a beating he deserves!" Krystal said jokingly, as both she and Chris laughed even harder.

However, without them noticing, Dojang quickly got up again, looking at the pair, his eyes burning. "Why you… the squire's action is reasonable, but for a lady to attack so degradingly from behind?!" he growled, as the dust from the golems began forming itself around him. "It's unforgivable! No matter what you say, I cannot let this pass by without notice! Kyoku Yochi Golem Yoroi Gobai!" Then, the dust from the five golems began forming something around him, slowly taking the shape of an even greater golem, so big that it nearly reached up to the third floor. "I shall show you my warrior might!" Then, he raised his gigantic hand for a punch, as he aimed for Krystal and Chris.

"Krystal, get out of here!" Chris suddenly yelled, as she pushed Krystal away from the range of the punch, but with the speed it maintained, she wouldn't be able to dodge it in time. "So… this is how I go out?" she said to herself, as she smirked. "Squashed like a bug, even though I wanted to become the best… Goddamn, that's ironic." Then, she raised her two daggers, and prepared to be crushed underneath the massive fist.

However, before it could hit her, it stopped completely. Chris blinked at first, until she noticed an all-too familiar character in front of her; Zugai, having shed his armor, was now blocking the massive fist with Honehakaisha, all while smiling. "Don't go dying on me just yet…" he began, as he put more pressure on his axe, slowly pushing the fist away. "If you die, I can't give you your hat back!" Then, with one massive swing, the fist was derailed, and crashed a distance away from Chris. Then, Zugai threw Honehakaisha in the air, and began running up the golem's arm.

"Fool!" Dojang called again, as he saw Zugai running up his arm. "A fallen knight would not try to get up again after facing defeat!" Then, just as Zugai leapt to grab his spinning axe, Dojang merged his hands together, as he prepared to slam it into Zugai's body. "DIE!!!"

"Honehakaisha Joker Roulette!" As the fists flied towards him, Zugai grabbed his axe, as he spun rapidly in mid-air once more, aiming for the golem's head, but his attack struck the makeshift hammer instead. However, instead of being repelled, as Dojang thought would happen, Zugai kept on spinning, eventually actually penetrating the hands of the golem, until they split apart from one another, allowing Zugai to strike the head. However, his velocity was so great that he actually cut the entire golem in half within five seconds, stopping only once his feet landed on the ground.

"No… it's impossible…" Dojang clamored, as the remains of the golem faded into dust that was carried away with the wind as a result of Zugai's attack, leaving a barely conscious Dojang floating momentarily in mid-air. "Sir Card Shark… forgive me…" he muttered, as blood suddenly burst from his chest, before he fell to the ground, knocked out.

"What, was that it?" Zugai said in a disappointed tone, as he walked over to Dojang, looking down at his fallen opponent. "When I saw that big golem, I thought he'd pose more of a challenge." he sighed, as he looked over at Chris. "Yo, you alright?" he said in a cheerful tone.

Chris didn't really know why, but she was somehow relieved, though she didn't show it all too much, as she merely nodded. "Yeah, thanks. I really though he had me there for a second…" A collective sigh of relief went through the group, content with their victory.

Then suddenly, someone gasped. Everyone looked in the direction of the gasp, to see Krystal slapping her forehead in frustration. "We can't just be sitting out here! KC's still fighting that other guy!" However, as soon as she said that, an explosion came from over them, as they saw that on the third floor, where KC, Dojang and Card Shark had fallen from in the first place, KC and Card Shark were now in the midst of a brutal brawl.

"You're pushing your chances of survival to the limit!" Card Shark laughed, as he swung his Bo horizontally, forcing KC to block it. "That gets me pumped, ya hear?!" Then, he quickly delivered a kick to KC's gut before he could react to it.

"Would you shut up about your pumping, already?!" KC yelled angrily, as he leaped backwards to create some space between the two of them. "If you want to fight, then shut up and do it!" Then, he planted his ice blade into the ground, freezing the ground below Card Shark, which immobilized him for the time being.

"Ooh, not bad, kid!" he laughed, as he rummaged through his trenchcoat for something, before pulling out a pair of dice. "My Fuju Fuju no Mi is normally limited to cards, but through training, I found ways to use other gambling articles in conjunction with my power! Observe, runt!" Then, he began shaking the dice in his hand furiously, before throwing them towards KC. "Bakuyaku Makusaikoro!"

Then, the dice suddenly exploded before KC's eyes, the ivory they were made of scattering from them like shrapnel, some of which dug themselves within KC's flesh, forcing him to give out a pained grunt, bringing him on his knees. "Heh, told you I got pumped." Then, Card Shark easily broke his feet out of the ice, as he slowly walked towards KC. "Well, it has been fun, but, you know, mission to fulfill, and whatnot. After all, the longer I play with you, the longer I have to wait to kill Maria."

Hearing the last part of his sentence suddenly sent a surge of power within KC, making him swing his swords at Card Shark, who blocked it with his Bo. "Don't you even…" KC muttered, as he slowly got up on his feet. "…think about…" Then, he pointed his fire blade behind him, before giving Card Shark one hell of a glare. "Killing Krystal, you son of a bitch!" Then, the flame sword shot out a stream of flame that propelled KC forward, and effectively, Card Shark as well. However, as they were gliding, Card Shark took advantage of the ice behind him, as he grabbed hold of KC's hand which held the ice blade, before deliberately slipping on the ice, sending them both tumbling over the edge, but Card Shark managed to grab hold of the stage before he could fall.

"Well, now…" Card Shark laughed, as he looked down at KC, who was glaring at him. "This just got more interesting. I can't heave myself on the platform with you hanging there, but I can't hold on here forever. So, wanna make a gamble? Figure out something wicked to save yourself from your situation without involving me, or I'll throw you to your death. What do ya say?"

Krystal could only gaze at the scene up above, before shaking her head. "Damnit, I got to help him! But I had to leave my bow and arrows back in the changing room, so…" Then, she got a good idea, before turning to face the rest of the group. "Hey, anyone of you got a firearm?!"

Every one of them blinked, which only made Krystal grow impatient, before someone suddenly threw a rifle at her, which she clumsily caught. "It belongs to me, but you can borrow it for ten seconds." Vraspos' voice said coldly, as he glared at Krystal. "Pass that limit, and I'll take it from you by force."

Krystal nodded, before she aimed the rifle at Card Shark and KC, trying to aim steady enough to strike her target. "Come on, don't drop him just yet…" Then, as she got the perfect aim, she smirked. "KC, look out!" she yelled as a warning, before pulling the trigger, sending a bullet flying through the air, striking the joint of the hand Card Shark used to hold KC.

As Card Shark yelled in pain, he dropped KC by accident, but this allowed KC to finally get control of his ice blade, as he shot a circular beam of ice towards the ground, creating a slide out of ice, which he used to get down safely. However, as soon as he landed on stage, the ice slide exploded, as a result of Card Shark throwing an exploding card at it. As the crowd looked up, they saw that Card Shark had pulled himself up to the prop area, looking down at KC with an annoyed smirk.

"Damn, you're a feisty little bastard, arent'cha?!" he yelled, as he threw away his Bo, before pulling twenty cards from his jacket, holding ten in each hand. As it turned out, four of the cards were aces, four were kings, four were queens, four were jacks and four were tens. "But you'll regret standing up to protect someone you weren't supposed to protect! This attack is a fail-safe, and no one has survived it being used!" Then, Card Shark leaped from the high ground, throwing all cards down towards KC. "Taste my Shibyo Royal Flush!"

However, KC ignored the cards coming at him, as he instead slammed his swords together, creating a mist field around him, but the mist was thin enough to see where KC stood. "As long as there is life in my body… I'll protect those I love… even if I die!" Then, the mist thickened, as Card Shark got a concerned look on his face. "Enmumaki!!!" Then, the mist suddenly flew upwards as a result of a powerful gust of wind, caused by KC spinning his swords at ferocious speed, including a sword of mist that had formed itself in his mouth. However, even though the wind blast struck Card Shark head on, what would really finish him were all twenty cards floating up next to him as a result of the wind.

KABOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

All cards went off simultaneously, sending Card Shark's body flying straight out of the roof of the Opera House, before he crashed down on the ground like a falling rock. Then, the mist sword in KC's mouth faded into thin air, as the crowd was now collectively holding their breath. KC only briefly glanced at Card Shark's body, before preparing to walk to his friends, when…

"Not yet…" Card Shark's voice said in a raspy tone, as KC quickly spun around, to see Card Shark on his feet again, smiling his most wicked grin yet. "You're the Magic Swordsman, are ya not? I've never had a fight quite like this, and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. But you'll still not stop me from fulfilling my mission!" Then, reaching within his trenchcoat, he pulled out another card, before throwing it past KC, aiming to his Krystal with it.

However, before the card even got half-way, a gunshot rang through the air, as the card effectively burst into an explosion. Everyone looked to the crowd, to see Morte holding a gun in his hand, still holding his head in a lazy position. "Now, now, Card Shark…" he said in a calm tone, but he was giving off an awfully cruel vibe from him. "If he gave you such a trashing whilst she was alive, think what he would do if she died?"

For once, Card Shark looked quite horrified as he saw Morte smile innocently at him, gun still in his hand. "Yo-yo-you-you're…" he stuttered, as he began trembling. Then, with an annoyed glare, he looked over at KC, and pointed his finger at him. "Believe me when I say that the chance of you seeing the last of me is 0%! We'll most definitely meet again, Magic Swordsman, and then, we'll see who's the strongest!" Then, he walked over to Dojang, and heaved him over his shoulder, before pulling out yet another card, this time throwing it at a wall, blasting a hole in it, which he quickly leaped through, effectively escaping.

KC nodded as Card Shark disappeared. "We'll see each other again… Card Shark." Then, he looked over at the group, smiling innocently. "Well, are you guys alright?"

Then, out of nowhere, Krystal ran up to him and embraced him in a hug, startling KC a tad, but he calmed himself once he heard her sing in character as Maria once more:

"_And I thank you, my beloved,_

_for my feelings may have swayed,_

_but oh, so gently, and so kindly, you answered me…_"

A moment of silence went by, before she annoyingly whispered something in KC's ear, before he nodded in approval, and soon, both of them were singing.

"_I'll wait for you, I'll wait for you, forevermore and more…_

_Forevermore and more!_"

As they sung the final line, the entire crowd burst into applause, and even the Cross Skull Pirates present were applauding the pair, as was Chris and Akira. Vraspos didn't exactly applaud, but he noticed that Morte was also clapping with a satisfied smirk on his face. _So, I guess you approved of this, then._ he thought, as he joined in the applause as well.

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Some hours had gone by since the opera ended. Onboard the Howling Moon, Craigmirra, Jin and KC were eagerly telling Shin and Nampu about what had happened in the Opera House, and Nampu cursed himself for not attending to see it, whereas Krystal only laughed at the trio's exaggerated version of the battle.

However, as Zugai was about to board his pride and joy, he heard someone clear his throat behind him, and as he turned around, he saw Chris, still wearing her helmet, but not the rest of her armor, as she was now in her casual clothes again. "Oh, yo, Chris, what's up?"

Chris only shook her head, as she looked at the Howling Moon with a grin. "We just seem to continue bumping into one another, don't we? Now that I've saved your ass and you saved mine, I think it would be in both of our interests if I joined your little crew, right?"

Zugai smirked, as he nodded briefly. "Well, I think I just about decided that we need a guy like you on our crew during our fight back there, so yeah, why not? Welcome to the Cross Skull Pirates! Oh, I almost forgot!" Then, he stuck his hand in his pocket, as he pulled out a piece of black cloth; Chris' hat. "I've been trying to find you ever since we left Ajito Island, so I could return this." Then, he promptly stuffed the hat into her hands.

"Wow, you really took care of my hat all this time? Thanks a ton!" Chris said enthusiastically, as she prepared to put on her hat, when she remembered the helmet on her head being the only thing that hid her true gender. "Oh, what the hell, it would probably be revealed some time or another. You see, I don't think 'guy' would be the right word to describe me with." Then, she removed her helmet, letting her red hair fall down to her shoulders.

Immediately as she did that, Zugai did the mother of all double-takes, as he pointed at Chris in shock, mainly due to him actually thinking all this time that Chris was, in fact, male. "You… you… YOU'RE A GIRL?!"

"What, ya got a problem with that?" Chris asked in a slightly annoyed tone, as she slid her crescent dagger within her hat again, before stuffing her hair underneath the hat, once again hiding her gender from those who didn't already know, i.e. Zugai.

Zugai merely blinked for a few seconds, before regaining his composure. "Of course I haven't. Now, are ya coming aboard, or what?" he said with a grin, as he quickly boarded Howling Moon. Smiling, Chris followed suite.

----------------------------------------

As this went on, on the other side of the island, Morte, Akira and Vraspos were headed towards a small boat with a sail, but one noticeable thing about the boat was that it was painted with orange and black stripes, as if it was a tiger. "Ah, Mouse Trap." Morte sighed, as he looked at the little boat. "So small, and yet so trustworthy."

Vraspos frowned, as he looked at the boat. "It's a hunk of junk, Morte. I just don't see why you won't use the bounty hunting money to buy a better ship for us." he said coldly, which somehow got Morte's attention.

"Oh? Did I hear someone insult my ship?" Morte said in a calm tone, though it was fairly obvious that he was pissed, as he glared at Vraspos, reaching for his kris, when Akira stepped in between the two.

"Now, now, guys, let's not start fighting over opinions!" he said cheerfully. "We got more important things to think of, right?"

"Not more important than what I can offer." The new voice drew attention from all three bounty hunters, as they looked towards Mouse Trap to see someone perched at the top of its mast. Upon closer inspection, they saw that the man had an immensely long, black ponytail hanging from his shoulder, and his body was covered in a black cloak.

"Hey, who do you think you are, coming around and sitting on my ship like you own it." Morte said irritably, as he pulled his kris half-way out of its sheath, glaring at the stranger. "Unless you have a reason to bug me, get lost, will you? What's your name, anyway?"

The stranger merely grunted, as he looked at his own hand. "My name is Etels Tyches, and I came here to seek the finest bounty hunter this sea had to offer, in order to give him a lead on a certain pirate crew. And he's standing right in front of me… isn't he, Morte del Astuto, also known as Manigordo?"

Morte eyed Etels curiously, as his grip around the kris tightened, before he sheathed it once more. "A lead, you say? Tell me more."

---------------------------------------

**Zugai Hibiware – **Captain/Shipwright/Blacksmith

**Nampu Kiyasui – **First Mate

**KC Boom – **Swordsman

**Krystal Gem – **Sniper

**Jinketsu Namura – **Navigator

**Shin Mikage – **Cook/Hunter

**Little Lady Craigmirra – **Obligatory Cute Mascot

**Chrisanthia Hopkins – **Thief/Spy

**A/N: **And there we go, another arc nailed to the T! Man, this chapter was really long, but it's all worthwhile, as the next thing after Lougetown is, you guessed it, the Grand Line! Finally, we can get closer to finding One Piece, and with the growth of the Cross Skull Pirates, what could possibly happen to screw everything over with a monkey wrench? Probably something that'll happen in about fifty chapters (or 200 bloody episodes), but let's not dwell on that! Just remember to R&R, and I'll see you around!

**YolkaEd**


	21. One Final Stop part 1

One day after the opera incident on Shigusa Island, we find ourselves on a Marine vessel anchored by the famous island Lougetown, home of the First Pirate King, and the place where both of the Pirate Kings were executed. Inside of the ship, a man was sitting in a darkened office, reading the latest newspaper, which covered how the actress playing Maria had been targeted for unknown reasons by assassins, but they had been stopped before anything could happen.

"Hm, I see…" he muttered, as he turned the page, to reveal some images of the fights, including Craigmirra mercilessly pounding a golem, Jin kicking what seemed to be Dojang, KC's powerful Enmumaki, and Zugai cutting Dojang's giant golem in half. "Oh? Now, I'll be damned…" he muttered, as he began chuckling once he had scanned the pictures properly. Then, putting the paper aside, he picked up a Baby Den Den Mushi, as someone picked up on the other line.

"Yes, Captain?" the voice said, it being female. "Did you need anything special?"

The captain only chuckled lowly, as he looked up at a shelf, showing a black helmet shaped like a jaguar's head. "Yes, lady, I just wanted to inform you that it seems that the ones involved in the opera incident might be headed over to Lougetown. Set up a perimeter, and make sure to corner them when you see them. I would like to see these heroes personally."

"Understood, Captain." the voice replied, as she hung up. Then, the man put the snail aside, as he looked at the roof with a satisfied smirk.

"It's been far too long, hasn't it… Demon's Orthopedic." he muttered, as he began chuckling.

--------------------------------

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**One Final Stop part 1**

**Landing at Lougetown**

------------------------------

Three days went by after the Cross Skull Pirates acquired their latest crewmember, as Howling Moon now had its sails aimed towards the legendary Lougetown. As you might have imagined, it took a while for Zugai to explain to the crew that Chris was actually female (but somehow, Nampu didn't need much convincing), but aside from that, she was getting quite along with her new crew.

Right now, she was standing by the railing, looking at her reflection given from her double-sided dagger, and sighed, not because she was discontent, but because she was tired from an earlier brawl she had with Craigmirra and Nampu about usage of the restroom, which had been resolved by Zugai and Jin after a while.

Just then, she heard someone put his entire weight down on the ground next to her, as she turned her head to the left to see Zugai leaning against the railing, his axe's blade resting on his shoulder. "Well, if it isn't the captain?" she said playfully, as she looked back at the sea. "Shirking out on your duties again?"

Zugai gave her a brief glance, before shaking his head. "Nope, not at all." he said calmly, as he yawned a little. "I took care of the dishes, as Shin told me to, I've been busy helping KC practice his swordsmanship, and now I'm just taking a break from running away from Craigmirra. For some reason, she seems to want a piggyback ride, and even with my powers, it gets tiring after a while."

Chris laughed a little, as she didn't bother to look up from her dagger. "You seem to be quite popular with your crew, isn't that right?" she asked, to which Zugai replied with a brief nod.

"Yeah, I guess." he replied. "If you're a captain, you can't neglect any of your crewmembers, or they won't stay friendly with you. And if there's one thing I'd hate to experience, is to lose a friend." There was a bit of silence, as Chris continued to look out to sea. "Oh, yeah, I forgot to ask; what's your name?" he asked, as he looked up at Chris.

Chris gave Zugai a brief glance, before shrugging. "I thought I told you back on Ajito… well, it's Chris Hopkins, if you please." she replied, but Zugai only shook his head.

"No, no, I mean, your FULL name." he said, as he quickly sprung to his feet. "If I'm not mistaken, Chris is usually a guy's name, so I think you abbreviated your first name into Chris, just to hide your gender." he said calmly, as he heaved Honehakaisha on his back.

Chris continued looking out to sea, before quickly spinning around, looking at Zugai seriously. "If I do, swear not to call me that, or I'll take your position as captain onboard here, okay?"

Zugai laughed, as he nodded. "Sure, I won't call you your full name if it's that big of a deal. Now, what's your name again?"

Chris nodded briefly, before turning back to face the railing. "It's…" Zugai blinked a little. Did she say it, or… In confusion, he motioned to her to raise her voice. "It's Chr…" It only faded into a mutter, which made Zugai pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration, as he again motioned for her to raise her voice. "It's Chrisanthia, alright?"

Zugai blinked again, as he scratched his head. "Chrisanthia? That sounds like a pretty good name, if you ask me, so why-" As he was about to finish his sentence, Chris grabbed his lips, which prevented him from making anything but muttering noises.

"I told you, don't call me that, okay? You promised." Then, she let go of his lips, as she smirked a little. "Well, if you're gonna doze off here, then I might as well check up on the others. See you around, captain!" Then, she wandered off, leaving Zugai to his own devices.

"Huh…" Zugai uttered, as he leant against the railing again, preparing to take a nap, when he heard something land in front of him. It was a newspaper, and it was extra thick this week, so a new bounty list would have been sent out. As he opened the paper to see what bounties he would find, two in particular earned his attention. "Son of a… Really? Maybe I should show 'em these… as soon as I take a nap." Then, he hid the newspaper behind him, as he closed his eyes, before suddenly opening them. "Nah, they'd like to see this at once, I reckon." Then, picking up the paper, he went the opposite way Chris had gone.

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As Chris walked around the deck of Howling Moon, she could hear some noises coming from near the entrance to the kitchen. "Who could that be, I wonder…?" she muttered, as she peeked around a corner, just to see something completely ridiculous, yet actually pretty funny at the same time.

She saw KC, Krystal and Shin sitting on the deck, laughing and clapping as she noticed Nampu, Jin and Craigmirra acting out something before them. What really struck her was that Nampu was actually wearing a skirt over his regular pair of shorts, and whilst Jin was trying to seem intimidating with a deck of cards, Craigmirra was waving around two sticks like a pair of swords. "Oh, my hero, what could tear us apart, I wonder?" Nampu said in a pretty high-pitched and feminine tone, which only brought several laughs from the crowd.

"Well, I can!" Jin suddenly said, as he stepped forward, as his voice had gone down several octaves to match Card Shark's more gruff voice, and Chris could even hear him fake an Irish accent. "I'm here to kill girls and play cards, and there's only one girl here!" he said threateningly, though it, along with Nampu's "shrieks of terror", only made the crowd laugh even harder.

"Never fear, my dear!" Craigmirra said, as she stepped up next to Jin. "I am the Magic Swordsman, and will defeat you with my hocus pocus pokey swords!" As she said this, she repeatedly poked Jin with the sticks, again making the laughs grow in strength.

"Oh, yes? Well, at you, then!" Jin replied, and as Craigmirra continued poking him with the sticks, Jin repeatedly threw the cards in his deck at her, whilst making explosion sounds as he did. Soon, he was out of cards, and looked around in a panic. "Uh, you haven't seen the last of me, Magic Swordsman!" he said menacingly, as he quickly hid behind the mast, again bringing forth a plethora of laughs.

"Oh, my hero!" Nampu called, as he began pirouetting around Craigmirra, who was now juggling her sticks around. "How can I ever repay you for saving my life?"

"Don't mention it." Craigmirra replied, as she looked at the crowd with a laid-back gaze. "It's just what I do." With that, the crowd applauded and whistled, Shin even calling for an encore. With that, Nampu, Craigmirra and Jin began bowing for the crowd, thanking for the applause.

"They sure know how to have fun around here." Chris said quietly, as she turned to leave, when she felt someone collide with her, sending both her and a surprised Zugai crashing out from behind the corner, garnering the attention of the rest of the crew.

"Ouch…" Zugai muttered, as he got up quickly. "Chris, you can at least watch where you-" He stopped mid-sentence, as he suddenly noticed Nampu wearing a skirt. "Dude… have I missed something here?"

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"NEW BOUNTIES?" The entire crew was now crowded around three posters lying on the deck, one of them being KC's poster, the second showing Jin kicking at the Dojang look-alike, and the final showcasing Craigmirra's furious look when she pounded the golem. Jin's poster read "'Water Lord' Jinketsu Namura, 20,000,000 Beri", whilst Craigmirra's read "'Little Lady of Rage' Craigmirra, worth 22,000,000 Beri" , with KC's bounty having been raised to 23,000,000 Beri.

"This is awesome!" Craigmirra said happily, as she hugged her poster with much glee. "I can't believe I got a bounty! Now I'm a real pirate!" Then, she looked at it again, before frowning. "Oh, but I don't know about the photo… they could have taken another one."

"Well, this is interesting!" Jin said happily, as he studied his poster. "Water Lord… I like the sound of that."

KC looked at his own poster with a smirk. "Well, seems like someone liked my performance back there." he laughed, before he handed the poster to Krystal.

"But hasn't Chris gotten any bounty?" Nampu (who had long since removed the skirt, and forced Zugai to shut up about it) asked puzzled, as he was now shaking the newspaper to see if he had missed anything. "I end up missing out on a lot these days."

"Well, like they say…" Shin said calmly, as she shrugged. "If you do the dishes, you won't get dessert. Speaking of, I'm about to prepare dinner for tonight. What do you guys want?" she asked, as she turned to look at the crew, when she noticed an island in the distance. "Hey, look, it's…"

Quickly, every crewmember turned around to see just what Shin had seen, and immediately, they gasped with awe; before them was the legendary island, where the Pirate Kings had been executed; Lougetown, the island of beginning and end. "There it is…" Krystal said in awe. "Our final checkpoint before the Grand Line."

"Yeah… Well, c'mon, let's hurry up!" Chris suddenly yelled, as she moved closer to the figurehead. "I mean, it's THAT island! We might be able to see the scaffold they executed the Pirate Kings on!"

"The Pirate Kings…" Zugai muttered, as he remembered how he began his journey; without any desire to become a pirate, he had eventually wound up on the wrong side of the law, all because he and his friends tried to find a certain crew. Now, as they had been sailing for nearly a month together, he had grown accustomed to the idea of piracy, and hey, maybe he could even become… "Well, she's right!" he suddenly called, as he turned to his crew. "Let's not wait any longer, so grab the oars, and let's row!" A resounding cheer rang over the deck, as the crew began hastening their arrival at the island.

------------------------------------

As there was a rather large Marine vessel close to the harbor, the Cross Skull Pirates decided to hide away their pirate flags, and made a precaution of anchoring by the coast instead of by a dock. Since everyone was so eager to visit the town, Zugai decided that Howling Moon wasn't in need of guarding just this once. The eight pirates then decided to split into two groups; Zugai, KC, Krystal and Chris went in one group, whilst Nampu, Jin, Shin and Craigmirra went in another (though it took a while to make Craigmirra go in another group than Zugai).

Right now, we follow Nampu's group, as they walk through the shopping district of the town, Jin eagerly looking into the windows of shops containing navigational instruments. "My goodness, it's like a giant buffet!" he said excitedly, as he stared into the fifth store he had found contained navigational instruments. "We got to visit one of these stores right now!"

"No, no, let's visit this one first!" Craigmirra said in an even more excited tone, though it was mainly because the store she had set her sights on was a toy store, filled with dolls dressed in pink gowns and the like.

"What, do ya need a teddy bear, or something?" Shin laughed as she walked next to Craigmirra, though what she got in response was a shake of a head and a blown raspberry.

"No, I don't like teddies." Craigmirra replied surly. "Let's find a clothing shop instead!" Then, she removed herself from the toy store, and went to the other side of the street to plaster herself in front of a clothing shop instead.

"Huh, what do ya know…" Shin muttered, as she gave Craigmirra a quick glance, before looking around the area. "Wait, where'd Nampu go all of a sudden?" she asked, as Jin and Craigmirra suddenly noticed that their gay first mate had vanished from sight.

Then, they heard some squabble coming from further up the street, where a crowd was gathered around a man with a huge afro wearing disco-esque clothing, who spun a Frisbee-shaped blade in his hands like it was a toy, all whilst laughing. "That's right, kids! If you can take the challenge and face me, Supin Kosudi, you might get the chance of winning 100,000 Beri! C'mon, you can't deny the thrill of the thought, so why resist? Come at me, yo!"

The crowd seemed to murmur something about "madman" and "wacko", but there were some who seemed interested in winning a hundred grand, but the blade Supin spun around was kind of threatening.

"Sheesh, who'd want to risk their life for money, anyway?" Craigmirra said in a repulsed tone, but no one seemed to notice her, Shin or Jin in the back. However, as Craigmirra scouted over the heads of the crowd (as she was sitting on Jin in order to be elevated), she noticed someone walk up to Supin.

"I accept your challenge, good man." an all-too familiar voice said, which sent chills down Jin's, Shin's and Craigmirra's spines; Nampu was the one who had accepted a fight against Supin. "I could use a good workout, and you seem to be just what I need." he added with a smirk.

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Zugai's group were walking through a more desolate street, as the crowd was bigger around the street Nampu's group went down. However, it didn't deter the four that much, as the street was home to many a weapon store. "Wow, so many!" Krystal said in awe, as she looked inside an archery store. "Maybe I can find a sweet bow I could use? My old one's getting worn out…"

KC also looked around, looking at various blades. "If I want to try to perfect Santoryu, I definitely need a cool-looking blade! But I don't think I can afford one…"

Zugai didn't bother to look around that much, as he already had just what he needed on his back. "First, we need to get some grub; though it can't be as good as what Shin makes, we could try something different for once." he said calmly, as he prepared to continue walking, when Chris grabbed his arm. "Huh? Something bugging you?" he asked puzzled, as he noted the concerned look on his newest crewmate.

"We're being watched." Chris replied, as she glanced up at the roof, where three armored persons were standing. All of them wore identical armor, covering their bodies like jumpsuits, with funky shoulder pads and helmets shaped like eagle heads, but what made them different was the color of their armor; the middle one was red, the left one was blue, and the right one was green.

The red knight was holding a massive iron club with both of his hands, and a pair of derringers was holstered by his hips, and by the looks of it, he had two more hidden within his gauntlets. The blue knight was holding a rapier, and on his back was a rifle equipped with a bayonet. The green knight was holding a machete, and on his back hung a colossal hand cannon, which looked more like a real cannon if one squinted. "Foul pirates!" the red knight spoke, as he pointed the club at Zugai's group. "If you think for even one second that we will give you any mercy, then you are sorely mistaken!"

Zugai blinked upon hearing this, before bursting out into laughter. "Are you serious? What are you, some sort of superhero squad? We don't have time to play games with you, but I commend the costumes!" he said as he laughed, which seemed to tick off the red knight.

"Do you even know who you're speaking to, pirate?!" the red knight exclaimed, as he pointed accusingly at Zugai. "We're the subordinates of one of the greatest Marine captains the world has ever known, and we will not allow you to-" Just then, the green knight slapped the red knight's skull from behind, effectively ending his lengthy monologue.

"Hey, idiot, did you even hear what his voice sounded like?" the green knight said, as it became apparent that the green knight was female. Then, she removed her helmet, revealing a head of short, green hair shaped in a mullet. "Zugai, it's been a while!"

The red knight did a double-take as he heard Zugai's name. "Zu-Zugai?!" Then, he removed his own helmet, revealing a head with a short, brown buzzcut for hair. "I can't believe it, it's Zugai!" he said enthused.

The blue knight looked down at Zugai, before removing the helmet, which revealed a female head which wore glasses, and her blue hair was bound in two pigtails. "Uhm… Zugai, you still remember us, right?" she said shyly.

As he saw the three knights unmasked, Zugai let out a surprised yelp. "Kia?! Ryder?! Illith?! Wh-what are you guys doing off Hobashira Island?!" he yelled in shock, as he pointed at the three knights one by one. "And what the hell's up with those costumes?"

"Ah, well…" the green knight, identified as Kia, began, as she scratched her nose. "You see, somewhere around three weeks ago, prob'ly five days after you and Nampu left home, we were approached by a Marine captain to become his subordinates."

"But he wasn't in any good shape, I'll say." the red knight, or Ryder, shot in, as he hung his iron club on his back. "He was all smashed up, and he would've died if Illith hadn't fixed him up." he added, as he motioned to the blue knight.

"B-but he was in terrible shape!" Illith said, as she tried not to look Zugai in the eye. "H-he said something about demons and hell, and there was something in his body, and…" She stopped herself, as she looked sheepishly over at Kia. "I began raving again, Aneki…"

"Look, the point is, we're Marines now." Kia said, as she sat down on the roof, and looked down at Zugai. "But man, oh man, was it a surprise to see you getting a bounty, partner! I would've expected Nampu to end up with one, but you? Unlikely, pal, just unlikely." she said, as she ran her hand through her hair.

"But…" Zugai began, as he looked at his three friends-turned-Marines. "Who's your captain, again?"

As Kia opened her mouth to speak, they could hear the sound of metal stomping on concrete. "I can answer that." a male voice spoke, as the two groups turned around to see a man wearing golden armor approaching them. His head wasn't helmeted, so they could see that the man had unkempt hair, and he had somewhat of a scruffy beard. "The man who made you known as the Demon's Orthopedic." Then, as he stopped close to the pirates, he put on his helmet, which was in the shape of a jaguar's head.

Immediately upon seeing it, Krystal suddenly drew her bow and pointed an arrow at the knight before them, though this only led to Kia, Ryder and Illith pointing their firearms at the group. "Hey, hey, whoa, wait!" Zugai said, as he got between Krystal and the knight. "Krystal, what's gotten into you?"

"Don't you remember?" Krystal said, as she got a good look at the knight again. "That's the Marine captain from back on Annai Island: The Wicked Knight, Kishikiyoi!"

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**A/N: **And here we are, beginning the end of the East Blue Saga! What ventures will our comrades face as they venture the town of the beginning and end? Only time and patience can tell, but for now, just keep on doing what sounds right, and I'll see you later!

**YolkaEd**


	22. One Final Stop part 2

As soon as the knight's name was uttered, everyone save for Zugai and Kishikiyoi prepared themselves for battle; KC and Chris had pulled out their weapons, Krystal was still aiming her bow at the knight, and Zugai's group of friends up on the roof were ready to blast the pirates to kingdom come at the slightest twitch on their part.

"Wicked Knight… Where have I heard that before…" Zugai muttered, as he scratched his skull, earning him two shocked gasps from KC and Krystal.

"Zugai, don't you remember?! If it hadn't been for you, he'd have killed Nampu and me back then!" KC said in a shocked tone, which made Zugai slam his fist into his palm, with an "Oh, NOW I remember" look on his face.

"Yeah, I remember you!" Zugai said cheerfully, again bringing about shocked yelps from his partners, except for Chris, who really wasn't too clear on the situation to begin with. "You're the guy I defeated by smashing you up with your own femur, wasn't it? Sorry about that, but you threatened my partners, you know?" he added apologetically, which made everyone but him and Kishikiyoi collapse comically out of frustration.

_Not only does he only remember how he defeated him, but he apologizes for it?! _Krystal thought, as she heard Kishikiyoi laugh.

"You still have that tongue of yours, little pirate, and your potential is still overbrimming!" the knight said, as he continued laughing, but there was a stark difference about him; whereas back on Annai Island had he been cruel, ruthless and without mercy, he seemed more relaxed and easy-going, not unlike Zugai, and his laughter was much more hearty than his previous raspy laugh. "You still sure you wouldn't want to join the Marines, kid?"

Zugai shrugged. "Eh, not really interested now, knight. Besides, I got a bounty now, what with me kicking your ass, right?" he said, as Kishikiyoi continued laughing.

"Yeah, you sure did! I guess I wasn't careful enough!" the knight said, as he continued laughing. "But man, you sure did a number on me back there, didn't you?"

Now, Zugai had begun laughing just as heartily as Kishikiyoi, and nodded. "I sure did! Hey, I almost forgot; is your leg any better now, or what?"

Kishikiyoi nodded, as he was still laughing. "It took a few days, but thanks to Miss Illith, my leg became as good as new! It's gonna take more than a whip made out of bone to stop me from doing my work!"

As the two continued laughing and doing small-talk, both Kishikiyoi's knight squad and the Cross Skull Pirates lowered their weapons in confusion. "So…" KC began, as he looked over at Krystal. "He's not seeking a vendetta against us?"

Krystal shrugged, as she sighed. "Somehow, I see far too many similarities between those two. It's like the guy we fought at Annai Island never existed…"

"Hey, would someone care to explain to me what the hell's going on?" Chris finally shot in, as she looked over at Kishikiyoi. "Yo, old man! As much as we'd love to stay and chat, the environment here's kind of threatening! How about we treat you guys for dinner?" As she said the last part, she held her hands over her mouth in shock. _Did I just propose that?!_

Kishikiyoi heard this, and continued laughing, as he removed his helmet, which revealed his gruff-looking face. "Kid, that sounds lovely right now!" he said, as he looked up at his squad. "Hey, you guys, how's dinner sound to you? Since you're friends with the Orthopedic, you can catch up on old times, or something along those lines!"

Though their faces were in doubt about this, the three knights nodded and gave a resounding "Aye", though the pirates (save for Zugai) shared their doubts to a tee. _This is gonna get us into trouble somehow, I just know it…_ Krystal thought in defeat, as the knights went on ahead, whilst the pirates followed suite.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**One Final Stop part 2**

**The Boxer Living for Passion**

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The crowd surrounding Supin and Nampu had drawn themselves away from the two a little, afraid to get caught up in their conflict. Supin blinked at first, before he examined Nampu, all whilst holding his chin and making humming noises. "You sure act tough, guy." he said, as he began spinning his frisbee-like blade. "But I think you're a little intimidated by my Yoyo Splitter, right? C'mon, why'd ya think people don't wanna get too close, eh?"

Nampu merely looked at the blade for a brief second, before he began rummaging through his bag, eventually pulling out a slingshot, along with a rock. "They're afraid of dying, you know? If I'd been like them, would I even step up to accept your challenge?"

Supin laughed, as he held the blade over his head, still spinning it, making Nampu wonder if he'd accidentally cut off his afro. "That's some fighting spirit, yo! But can you take the heat when it boils down to it? If not, yo' just gon' get burned!" Then, he threw the blade towards Nampu, as it spun across the ground like a wheel.

Nampu, however, saw it coming from a mile away, and calmly sidestepped it, as he prepared to fire the rock from the slingshot, when he noticed Supin slowly clasping his open hand into a fist, before he heard the sound of buzzing behind him. Reacting on instinct, he rolled to the side just in time to avoid the blade, which had spun backwards, back to the hands of its owner. "Wha… what the hell did you do?" he asked in shock, as Supin only smirked.

"Told ya, guy, you'll get burned if you don't take the heat correctly!" Then, he threw the blade directly into the air, but instead of falling down, it stayed high in mid-air, still spinning around, as Supin kept his arm stretched upwards. Before Nampu could comment on the absurdity of a floating blade, Supin bent the arm backwards a bit, whilst the blade actually followed his arm's movement. "Yoyo Splitter: Round and Round!" he suddenly yelled, as he now leapt into the air, spinning his arm around, as the blade continued following his movements. One thing Nampu noted was how out-of-control this attack was, as it was slicing its way through the ground with relative ease, mainly due to the velocity of its rotation. However, before Nampu could properly get away, Supin began spinning both of his arms around more erratically, as the blade continued following his arms. "Yoyo Splitter: Atomic Core!"

With the current velocity of the blade, it was actually cutting away large patches of ground, and even leaving clean cuts through some buildings. The crowd was now actively attempting to get away from the still-airborne destructive combatant, as the most horrific thing about this attack was that it was expanding, even more so towards Nampu. "Damn, I have to do something…" he muttered, as he slowly got more room between him and Supin, loading his slingshot again. Then, he let the small rock fly towards his adversary, hoping it would hit.

However, it didn't strike home. All Nampu could hear once he released it was a grinding sound, as some dust began floating away from the front of Supin's attack. "No way, he disintegrated it?!" he yelled in shock, though he noticed Supin not paying much attention to that; he was actually headbanging during his attack, eyes closed and all. "Crap, I gotta do something before he…" Thinking quickly, he took out a shard of glass from his bag, before shooting that at Supin as well, but that was also rendered ineffective.

"Goddamn it, something has to work!" Now Nampu was panicking, as he quite literally threw everything he had in the bag at Supin's violent attack, nothing even getting close to him at all. Soon, the only thing he had left was his slingshot, two iron pipes, and the bag itself. In frustration, he threw the slingshot at Supin, though it turned into sawdust in an instant.

"What's wrong, bro?" Supin's voice called, still sounding as though this entire rampage wasn't taking place. "Don't tell me you already done for, man!"

Nampu growled, before he suddenly got an idea; one of the pipes he had left was the one bent during his brief squabble with Kemono back on Ajito Island, and he hadn't bothered getting Zugai to bend it back into shape yet. "This might come in handy…" he smirked, as he quickly grabbed the bent pipe, and flung it towards Supin like a boomerang. However, even though it ended up being cut in half, only the end closest to Nampu faced instant eradication; the second half somehow reached through the Atomic Core, striking Supin's shin.

"Eh?" As soon as the pipe made contact with him, he stopped spinning his blade and arms, the blade stopping only a few centimeters away from Nampu, before both it and Supin fell to the ground. "Dude… you broke the core! That is seriously awesome, man!" he added, as he began laughing, before he got back up on his feet, the blade mysteriously reeling towards him. "Well, let's not keep the crowd waiting, eh? Let's fire up round 2!"

Just then, a screeching whistle cut through the air, startling Supin, who seemed genuinely shocked about the whistle. Then, through the crowd that remained after the battle, three people pushed through; whilst two of them were men who wore regular business suits, the third was female, and seemed to be the leader of the trio. She was wearing a white tank top that only went as far as below her chest, exposing her belly-button. She was also wearing a black jacket that had its sleeves cut away at the elbow area, along with a green, army-style pair of pants. Her hair was purple, tied in a Bobtail, and a cigarette was placed between her lips. Also, around her neck, a whistle was hanging, indicating that she had been the one to interrupt the fight.

"Hey, stop messing about here in town, you hear?" she said in a lazy tone, though she was glaring at Supin as if she was going to leap at him and tear his jugular vein apart. "Now, unless you got more business here, I'd suggest you scram."

Supin shuddered, as he walked closer to Nampu. "Sorry 'bout this, but I can't pay you at the moment, it seems." he said with a cool voice to Nampu, as he began walking away from the scene, passing by the lady. "Catch you around, bro!"

As soon as he was gone, the lady nodded to her cronies, who began shooing away the remainder of the crowd, claiming that there was nothing left to see. Soon, the only ones left on the street were Nampu, Shin, Jin, Craigmirra, the lady and her cronies. Then, before Nampu could question the lady, she promptly grabbed his arm, and struck his face with it.

"What the hell kinda fighter are you supposed to be, anyway?" she said, still speaking in a lazy tone, though her gaze and facial expression was nearly exploding with rage. "From what I saw, you only won that fight through sheer luck, and believe me, relying on that won't get your ass saved from other combatants."

Nampu held his face in pain, as he quickly yanked his arm away from the lady, who was still glaring at him like he had looked up her skirt (hypothetically speaking, of course). "Hey, there's no reason to go around hitting me just for that!" he snapped back, as he clenched his hands into fists. "Why so interested in how I fight my battles, anyway?"

The lady sighed, as she pointed angrily at Nampu, though her facial expression suddenly became as dull as her voice had been. "It's because I can't stand watching a potential fighter waste his time on throwing junk around!" she said, but now, her voice was just as passionate as her earlier facial expressions. "That's why I decided to give you a free lesson in how to fend off against your enemies… TO THE EXTREME~!" Then, even though her face was still nearly lifeless, she pointed her hand into the sky, as flames of passions erupted behind her, though it was really only her cronies using a make-shift flamethrower and a grenade to cause the effect.

_W-what's with this woman?! _Nampu thought, as he looked over at his crewmates, who were just as confused as he was. "B-but hey, I don't really have any-" Before he could finish, the lady threw a devastating uppercut in his direction, sending him flying a distance away from her.

"Don't get cheeky with me, kid!" she yelled, her face still emotionless, before her face suddenly flared up. "You're gonna be trained how to box properly, and I'm not gonna leave you from my sights until you can score a K.O. So, I'm Netok Najun, and I'll be your coach for the evening." Then, without Nampu getting a chance to recover once he stood up, her face cooled down, as she dashed at him in a boxing stance.

The rest of the group was shocked to see Netok attack Nampu without any precautions of it. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're-" Shin began, as she stepped closer to the fight, when her cronies got in her way, blocking her from approaching further. "What? C'mon, give me a break!"

Jin looked over at the battle, which was fairly one-sided in Netok's favor, and cringed once she scored a hit with Nampu's abdomen. "Hey, why is she… coaching him, anyway?" he asked one of the cronies, who looked at Jin with a neutral stare.

"She's training him to see if he's fit to survive on the seas, more specifically the Grand Line." he said after a while, as he strummed his tie. "That's what kind of person she is; she hates seeing people who have potentional for greatness waste their talent in areas they have no use for… Netok Najun, Der Glutvolle Streiter."

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**A/N: **Sorry for this one being so short, but I'll make it up with the next chapter, which will feature the battle between the Unpredictable Storm and Der Glutvolle Streiter, as well as some exposition. Don't miss it!

**YolkaEd**


	23. One Final Stop part 3

"Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!" At a local restaurant, Zugai, Chris, KC and Krystal were now sitting by a table together with Kishikiyoi, Kia, Ryder and Illith, with Zugai and Kishikiyoi laughing heartily and talking about what they had been doing since their battle, as the three other pirates were exchanging small talk with the knight squad. "So, you three are Zugai and Nampu's childhood friends, eh?" KC asked, as he was patiently awaiting his next plate of food, three empty plates on the table in front of him.

Kia nodded, as she looked over at Zugai, who didn't seem to notice being looked at. "We sure are, and to tell ya the truth, I wouldn't have it any other way."

Krystal also looked over at Zugai, but her gaze naturally came across Kishikiyoi as well. "But, I just can't understand how The Wicked Knight, of all people, could be so… cheerful." she murmured, which Ryder somehow heard.

"Hey, now, that name is kinda misplaced, ya know?" he said, as he slouched over the table. "Our captain may be eccentric, but he's most definitely not bad in any way. In fact, he keeps on insisting to the other marines under his command to call him The Noble Knight."

KC nodded, as the waitress had just handed him his fourth food plate, which he immediately began digging into. "But he sure didn't seem so noble back on Annai Island, though…" he said, though it was slightly muffled, what with him having his mouth stuffed.

"Well, actually…" Illith began, as she garnered the attention of the pirates, much to her embarrassment. "Well, when Kishiyoki arrived on our island, he was terribly injured, and was raging on about demons, curses and how all would burn in hell, before he passed out."

As she was about to continue, Kia slapped her back in good mood, laughing. "So our good doctorine here saved his ass, didn'tcha?" she said heartily, to which Illith only bashfully nodded to.

"But you did mention something earlier…" Chris began, as she eyed the blue-haired girl. "Something in his body, wasn't it?"

Illith suddenly tensed, as she looked over at Kishikiyoi and Zugai, both of them still blissfully unaware of the conversation. "Y-yes…" she began, as she quickly looked away from her captain. "It was some sort of serum. I don't know what it was, but somehow, it was affecting the neurons in his body to the point that the only communications made to the brain via action potentials were aggressive and cruel ones. Once it was removed, he returned to normal after a few days, but there might still be some of it left in his body…"

Blinking, Krystal looked over at Kishikiyoi, who had now begun arm-wrestling with Zugai. "What kind of serum can do that…? Only a professional scientist could create something that controls a body's neural system like that…"

Just then, KC nearly bounced off his chair, looking at Krystal with a dead serious expression. "It couldn't possibly be Tony Tony Chopper who did that?!" However, just as he said that, a quick karate chop slammed his head into the mashed potatoes he hadn't finished consuming yet, as a visibly annoyed Chris rubbed her temples, her fist still smoking from impact.

"Why would a member of the Second Pirate King's crew target a marine captain from East Blue?" she said, as she looked towards Illith again. "Though if we're gonna point fingers, it seems like something someone like that Hogback would do…"

Illith nodded weakly, as she looked over at Kishikiyoi again. "There was something else… as he was resting when the serum was removed, he was mumbling something about a scythe, but…" Sighing, she put her hands on her head, shaking it in a tired manner. "I can't turn it into anything viable…"

Meanwhile, outside the restaurant, as the chef had just dumped some leftovers into a garbage pail, it began shaking, before some grey, metallic liquid shot out of it, heading over the rooftops, straight for the plaza, and the execution platform…

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**One Final Stop part 3**

**The Storm versus Der Streiter**

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Quickly, Netok threw a straight left at Nampu, who just barely bent his head so that it passed by him. However, before he could attempt either a retreat or a counter, Netok swiped her arm sideways, so that it struck Nampu like a guillotine, sending him flying down the pavement. Again, her face seemed lazy, as she turned over to look at Nampu getting up.

"You're still getting up, even after my Linkshänder Schnitt!" she said excitedly, though her face greatly contrasted it. Suddenly, her face gave out a cocky smirk, as she got in a fighting stance again. "But unless you're meant to be a wall, fight properly." she added in a dull tone, as she blew out a puff of smoke from her cigarette.

Nampu got up from the ground, holding his neck in pain, as he looked over at Netok, who was just about ready to rush at him again. "Not too shabby, lady…" he began, as he glanced at her with a smirk as cocky as hers. "But decide what mood you're supposed to be in, already."

Then, without warning, Netok rushed at him, reeling her right hand back for a punch. Expecting an attack to his left side, Nampu ran at her from an angle so that her punch wouldn't hit him. However, once he got in range, Netok quickly spun in place, her reeled-back fist striking Nampu with relative ease. "Spinnerei Zuknallen."

Again, Nampu rolled against the pavement, before quickly getting up, eyeing Netok, whose facial expression was again completely dull. "Sheesh, you at least got experience…" he muttered, as he ran at Netok again, his own fist reeled for a punch. However, when he threw it, Netok grabbed the arm by pinning it between her forearm and upper arm. Then, twisting her own arm, she effectively turned Nampu upside down, before she twisted her own body to the side, so her other arm could be poised for an uppercut. "You're really not paying attention!" she said, before her face suddenly grew a stirringly creepy smirk. "Now you're mine." she added lazily, as she struck Nampu with an uppercut, launching him into the sky. "Gegenteil Aufwärtshaken."

As Nampu began falling down, Netok reeled her right arm back, readying herself for a strike, though she held her hand opened. "Handfläche Streik…" Then, once Nampu nearly touched the ground, she pushed her palm forward, striking Nampu's face straight on, which seemed to surprise the now-lazy expression on Netok's face. "G-Gesicht Unterbrechter!"

As Nampu was sent flying as a result of the strike, he managed to yell "DON'T MAKE UP ATTACK NAMES ON THE FLY!", before he crashed into the pavement once again. However, again, he got up fairly quickly. "Well, you're definitely no pushover…" he said in a relaxed tone, even though he had trouble holding his balance perfectly in place, as his forehead was now bleeding, as was his nose. "…but your fighting style has a flaw." he added, as he got in a boxing stance as well.

Netok crossed her arms, as her lazy face tilted slightly. "Eh? Ya think my Rechte Boxen style is flawed, 's that it?!" she said profoundly angered, before her face again turned seriously annoyed. "I'm seriously gonna make you eat those words, pupil."

"Heh, just watch!" Nampu replied, as he quickly rushed at Netok, heading at her in a straight line. However, once he got within range of her, she threw a straight left at him, though he managed to duck underneath it in time.

"Gotcha." Netok said in a playful tone, as her right fist clenched itself, before she drove it into Nampu's abdomen, knocking the air straight out of him. "Gefräßig Aufwärtshaken!" Then, she withdrew her fist, as Nampu collapsed on his knees, holding his stomach in pain. "Sheesh, don't tell me that's all you can do?" she said lazily, as her face glanced at Nampu with a mocking smirk.

"Don't…" Nampu coughed, as he glanced up at Netok, his smirk still plastered on his face, despite his injuries. "Count…" Then, he slowly reeled his right arm back, as his gaze lowered. "On it!" Then, with all his might, he threw a punch straight at Netok's left kneecap, which led to a screeching sound emerging from her lips.

"OW! That hurts, damnit!" she yelled, as she quickly made some distance between her and Nampu, her lazy face showing a faint hint of anger, though not by much.

"I was right…" Nampu coughed, as he slowly got back up on his feet, looking over at Netok. "Your weak point's the legs." he added with a smirk.

Now Netok was smirking as well, though it wasn't as cocky as it was ticked. "I guess I wasn't mistaken to have judged you…" Then, the smirk faded, as she allowed her hands to go limp. "But you still ain't gonna beat me that easily! You'll have to put up a better show than that to bring me down, and it'd better be extreme!"

Nampu grinned, as he twisted his wrists to make some sort of cracking sound, before shaking loose. "Well, I won't disappoint, then." he said, as he slouched over, preparing to dash at Netok at any moments notice.

As they stood ready to strike one another, Jin and one of Netok's cronies were still observing the fight, as Shin, Craigmirra and the second crony had went shopping some time ago, since according to Craigmirra, "It's no fun watching someone besides Zugai fight."

Jin looked at Netok for a moment, and noted that even in silence, her face would often change from practically emotionless to sparking with emotion. "Hey, could I ask a question?" he said, as he nudged the taller man beside him. "What's the deal with her constant mood swings?"

The man cleared his throat, as he straightened his tie. "Ever since she was born, Netok has been a rather lazy person, and that attitude of hers stretched itself all the way to her profession. So, two months ago, our boss gave her one of the Devil Fruits, the Nori Nori no Mi."

Jin gave the man a glance, before looking back at Netok, who was now looking dully at Nampu. "And… what does that fruit do?"

The man merely shrugged, as he sighed. "That's the deal; we've been thinking of what battle efficiency this fruit can bestow upon her, but for now, all it has done is to make her mood completely scrambled; if she looks lazy, she's really enthusiastic, and vice versa."

Jin merely blinked, as he looked at Netok, who was smirking as she was butting her fists together. "Not to be rude, but as far as Devil Fruits go, I've heard of better ones." he said, as he sighed.

Then, Netok rushed at Nampu, left arm reeled back. However, once she threw the punch, Nampu dodged it by leaning to the left, before aiming a left hook at her hip. But before the fist could strike its target, a straight right slammed squarely in his face. "Don't lose focus!" Netok yelled, as her face was again completely emotionless.

"I could say the same to you!" Nampu replied, as he quickly struck his right fist into Netok's gut, separating the two from one another. Nampu rubbed his face in pain, as he glared at Netok, who spat out a trace of blood from her mouth. "Tsch… we're getting nowhere here." he muttered, as he took a brief glance behind him.

"You're losing focus again." a sudden reply came, as Netok quickly approached him, both of her fists clenched, poised close to her stomach so that the intermediate phalanges on both hands were pointing towards Nampu. "Wahrheitsgemäße Schrotflinte." Then, once she got within reach of Nampu, she pushed both arms forward, both of her fists striking Nampu, as he was launched away by the powerful punch, shortly followed by a sound reminiscent of a shotgun being fired.

Nampu quickly got in contact with the ground again, rolling along it before he came to an abrupt halt. Now, he struggled greatly in getting up, the punch having knocked the air out of him more so than being punched in the gut earlier. However, once he saw where he had landed, he smirked, as he planted one hand into the ground, in order to push himself to his knees.

"Eh, still not done?" Netok asked in a lazy tone, as she got into her Schrotflinte-stance again. "I doubt you'll survive two rounds from this attack, no matter how resilient you are." she added, as she awaited any moves he would make.

Nampu didn't answer. Instead, he slammed his other hand into the ground as well, but when he did, Netok heard the sound of metal. Then, Nampu slowly, and quite unsteadily, got back up on his feet, now holding the iron pipe in his left hand. Netok frowned upon seeing it, and shook her head. "Hey, didn't I tell you that you'd just be wasting time on fighting with only luck?" she said in a fully serious tone. "An iron pipe won't stop a pro boxer, ya know!"

Nampu smirked, as he skidded his right foot behind him, getting ready to attack. "Maybe so, but a pro boxer won't stop me, period!" he said confidently, as he rushed towards Netok, getting ready to attack her.

"Idiot!" Netok yelled, as she skidded her own foot backwards as well, for support. "My Wahrheitsgemäße Schrotflinte is all locked and loaded, and you're running at it like some boar." she added unenthusiastically, as she gritted her teeth to the point that her cigarette actually snapped in two, the tip of it landing in front of her, before she spat the stump out of her mouth.

Nampu ignored her warning, and just kept running straight forward, his right hand clenched, and his left arm letting the pipe slide on the ground as he approached his foe. However, again, as he got in range, the two fists shot forward, striking their target once more, but this time, Nampu didn't fly away. "Eh?! How come my Schrotflinte didn't affect you now?!" Netok growled madly.

"Ya know, coachie…" Nampu began, as he tightened his grip on the iron pipe. "The same tricks again and again… just drones on, and becomes dull. Let me show ya something new!" Then, out of nowhere, he swung the iron pipe in his hands so that it actually struck the back of Netok's kneecaps.

"GRIAAH!" she shrieked, as she was forced to her knees due to the blow. However, even as she whined in pain, she couldn't do anything to stop Nampu to prepare for a straight punch aimed at her face. "Goddamn it, you cheated!" she yelled at him, her face still as lazy as always.

"Well, excuse me, princess…" Nampu began, as he grinned. "But that's how I roll! Hade Straight!" Then, without any warning, Nampu merely sent a single punch straight at Netok's face, actually sending her flying this time around (though only a short distance). "Match, then?" he said jokingly.

As Netok lay on the ground, heaving for air, she threw a glance at Nampu, who was still holding his pipe in his left hand. Then, after a while, she began laughing, and her face actually matched her emotion this time around. "Well, ain't you some kind of wonder pupil, or somthin'?" she laughed, as she quickly got up again, brushing blood from her lips. "But scoring a simple K.O. won't get'cha anywhere with ease! What about a rematch?"

As the two flew at each other again, Jin only stood in awe at the sheer fighting spirit the two were emitting. However, once he heard sobbing besides him, he turned his head to see the crony actually crying, though he seemed more happy than sorrowful. "H-hey, what's wrong?"

"Wrong? Nothing's wrong!" the crony said happily, as he watched the fight with tearful eyes. "It's just… no one's ever got Miss Najun to laugh before during a fight! And what's more, the emotions matched perfectly at that, too!"

Jin blinked again, as he smiled, before he looked back at the fighters, and he could clearly see that the two were enjoying the fight, as if it was a game. "Well, I'll be damned… If Nampu wasn't gay, I'd say they were a perfect match." he said jokingly, as he began laughing softly.

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As this was going on, Zugai's group had finished eating at the restaurant, and the group now exited the restaurant, Zugai and Kishikiyoi being silent, as the other six were talking with each other. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot; thanks for taking the bill for us, Kishi!" Chris said, as she quickly grabbed the gauntlet of the knight, shaking it.

Kishikiyoi only laughed in response, as he returned the shake. "Oh, it's no big deal, really, young Hopkins!" he replied with a laugh, before he looked at Zugai. "We'll pretend this never happened between us, right, Orthopedic?" he whispered, though everyone could hear him perfectly. "If anyone asks, you resisted arrest and escaped, right?"

Zugai laughed, as he nodded. "Well, you haven't arrested us yet, so as long as you don't do that, I can live with not telling anyone about this." he replied.

Kishikiyoi laughed again, as he turned around, motioning for his three knights to follow him. "But remember, I'll have to try to capture you the next time we meet, Orthopedic! So don't get killed before we meet next time!"

Zugai nodded, as he too turned around, as his crewmembers followed him. "It's a promise." he said briefly, before his group rounded a corner, leaving the vision site of the knights.

"So, what're we gonna do now?" Krystal asked, as she leant against a wall, rubbing her temples. "Being that close to a Marine officer for so long can really tear on a girl's nerves."

Zugai hummed, as he looked around where they were. On a street corner, he saw a road sign pointing in three different directions; one pointed towards them, reading "Harbor", another pointed to the left, reading "Shopping District", and the final sign pointed straight ahead, reading "Lougetown Plaza". With that, Zugai smirked. "You guys can go to the shopping district or something, but I'm heading towards the plaza!"

KC glanced at his captain briefly. "Why'd you wanna go there? I thought you needed some blacksmith tools, or at the very least some food with bones in it…" he asked, the last part meant as a joke.

Zugai smiled, as he weighed his labrys on his back. "Well, duh, KC! Isn't the plaza where the execution platform can be found? The place where both Pirate Kings were executed on!" he said with a very jovial tone, as he began jogging in the direction of the sign. "I just want to take a look there. If you meet up with Nampu, you can follow me there, or something!"

As he got further away from them, his three crewmembers all laughed weakly for a little while. Then, Chris looked at the sign reading "Shopping District". "Well, we might as well see what they have there. You guys needed some new weapons, didn't you?" Chris asked, as she began walking towards where that sign pointed. Not too long afterwards, KC and Krystal followed after Chris.

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At the plaza, the grey liquid flew into a cloaked person, who didn't seem to be too fazed by seemingly being attacked by said liquid. Ignoring it, he looked at two other people standing before him, who didn't seem to mind the liquid at all. "Then you are aware of who you're aiming for?" he said, as he looked sternly at the pair.

One of them merely looked at the cloaked man, and nodded briefly. He was extremely tall, ranging at about ten feet, and his hair was red and spiky, and his eyes were red as well, contrasting his pale skin. He was wearing a plaid-designed wool sweater, and wore black leather pants, along with socks and a pair of white geta sandals. Even though he was rather tall, he was very skinny, and most of his length came from his long legs.

"Sheesh, I still don't get why this guy… Sam, wasn't it… had'ta team up with me." the other man said, as he licked his lips in anticipation, his tongue being abnormally long. He was wearing a blue bandana over his head, in the style of Roronoa Zoro, along with a blue vest, jeans and sandals. He was also wearing gloves that were missing fingers, exposing his mysteriously greenish skin. "I mean, he couldn't hope ta match blades with Cameron Leon, could he?" he added in a cynical tone, glaring at the cloaked man before him.

"Both of you are needed to take this man down." the cloaked person said warningly, as a pair of grey, metallic wings somehow shot out of his back. "Be aware of his axe; it may not look like it, but it packs a punch." Then, he quickly flew away, before he could be noticed by anyone else.

Leon looked after the man, as he grinned maliciously, before looking over at Sam. "Eh, scrawny, you'd better make sure to deal with this guy, eh? I need'ta know if you're really up to it."

Sam only glanced down at Leon, and nodded. "Indeed I am."

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**A/N: **Alrighty, there ya have it! So, next week, we begin our Easter vacation, so there's a chance that I MAY not be able to update more than two chapters the following week. Just wanted to let you guys know, so you don't get anxious, or sumthin'! So, new characters; Cameron Leon is propertied **Nezumimaru**, and Sam is created by **Kisdota-The Freak Gamer. **So, I'll be seeing you soon, and don't forget to review!

**YolkaEd**


	24. One Final Stop part 4

On the street where Nampu and Netok were having their practice match, three persons exited one of the stores. As it turned out, it was Shin, Craigmirra, and the second of Netok's cronies. "Thanks again for holding my stuff." Shin said with a nod, as it was shown that she was holding a cone of cotton candy in her left hand. "Hey, Cirra, sure you don't want some of this? It's really good."

Craigmirra looked at Shin with her tongue stuck out. "Not really, no. I'm content with what I have." she replied, as she went back to hugging a doll wearing a pink dress, not much different from her own dress. "Thanks for the dolly as well, Mister Suit Guy!"

"It's…" the man stuttered, as he was seen holding four fully-packed paper bags in his hands, all of them stuffed with food rations, clothing and sewing equipment. "What… I… do!" he finished, as he struggled not to topple over.

"Good man." Shin said half-heartedly, as she looked over at the site of the fight, where she saw Nampu and Netok stare each other down. "What, are they STILL at it?" Before she could make sure with Jin that they were still fighting, she noticed that both of them were heavily bruised, their faces swollen up to the extreme. "Okay… Hey, I think you guys need a time-out!" she called so that both of them would hear her, which they did.

However, neither of them looked at her, instead pumping their right hands in the air. "Not yet! We're still at a tie for who's going to be the champ!" Netok yelled excitedly, though Shin couldn't see her lazy expression.

"That's right!" Nampu agreed. "We've only gotten a score of 34-34, and this last bout will decide which one of us is the most extreme fighter!"

Shin could only gape at how alike the two were, but nonetheless, her patience about this whole thing had worn thin. "THAT'S ENOUGH, ALREADY!!!" she yelled, and as we pan away from this street, several thuds and yells of involuntary pain were audible all the way to the Shopping District, where a group of three had just split up, heading into three different stores.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**One Final Stop part 4**

**Reunions and Introductions**

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At the plaza, dozens of people were gathered in front of the execution platform, gazing in awe at the structure. Truth be told, it had seen better days, what with a thunderbolt striking it down some years before the Second Pirate King's real execution, but the sheer fact that such legends had been removed from history on this platform made it a sight to behold, especially for a certain Zugai Hibiware.

"Wow…" he said in awe, as he attempted not to test fate by climbing it, but something inside of him begged him to do so, but common sense held him from doing so. "The Pirate Kings died here… If I had known that this was my path of life, I really wished that I had been here that day…"

"I saw it." A male voice broke Zugai's train of thought, as he turned around to see a man around his height, with curly brown hair and green eyes. He was also wearing a black tuxedo, along with a red bowtie and black tap-dancing shoes. "You would probably not believe me, but that day, when the Second Pirate King's life ended, I saw it happen…" Then, he realized that the crowd around him had dispersed, leaving to see what else was in the plaza, leaving only him and Zugai there. Noticing Zugai staring at him, he began laughing weakly. "Ah, I'm sorry to be so rude. Allow me to introduce myself; I'm Danny Jointure." he said, as he reached his hand out to Zugai for a shake.

Zugai eyed the hand for a little while, before grabbing it as well, as not to be rude. "The name's Zugai Hibiware." he said with a smile. "You said you saw the Second Pirate King's death? How'd it go? You gotta tell me!"

Danny looked at Zugai for a moment, before clearing his throat. "Well, I certainly will, my friend! It was like any other day in Lougetown…"

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_Eight years ago, which was roughly a bare five years after Monkey D. Luffy had acquired the legendary One Piece, the massive news of the Pirate King's capture and subsequent execution startled the entire world. Some were happy to see the end of it, some mourned his inevitable passing, but most of the world was shocked that such a powerful man had been captured, like Gold Roger before him._

_Right now, a massive crowd had gathered at the plaza, awaiting the coming of the King himself. Amongst the crowd, we see a younger Danny Jointure, who was now about three heads smaller than he was today, wearing a top hat in addition to his regular clothing. Whilst the crowd was murmuring to themselves, Danny fidgeted, nervous to see the King come at them._

"_There he is!" A female yell from the crowd brought everyone's attention to the street entering the plaza, where a battalion of men were marching slowly, guarding something following them. And lo and behold, there he was: The Rubberman, the Straw-Hat, the Second Pirate King, Monkey D. Luffy himself, standing tall, proud and mighty, despite his incoming death. His hands were cuffed together with chains akin to those his predecessor had worn during his own death march, but he didn't seem to mind them. And why should he? After all, he had brought just about as much chaos to the world as Gold Roger, if not more, so why should some lousy chains be a problem for him?_

_Despite this, he continued walking towards the execution platform, the place he had years ago escaped death at the hands of Buggy the Clown. "I see that you guys fixed it." he said with a smile, as he just walked past Danny, who nearly fell to the ground as the Pirate King passed by. "Ah, sorry about that." he said casually, with only a brief glance at Danny. Though the sun shadowed out his eyes (not that the straw-hat on his head already didn't do so), Danny immediately noted the brilliance that shone in his eyes, despite him knowing that his time had come._

_Soon, Luffy had been escorted to the top of the platform, where he was now facing the crowd, with two guards besides him, holding their blades at the ready. "Monkey D. "Straw Hat" Luffy, you, as the Pirate King, has preformed deeds striding against the laws of the world, and as a result, you will face execution. Do you have any last requests?" the guards said, obviously intimidated by the pirate besides them._

"_Well, there is one…" Luffy began, as he looked at the guard to his left, which made said guard sweat with terror. "I'm kinda hungry, so would you please hand me some meat?"_

_Though dumbfounded by this request, the guard called for some meat from a stand not too far from it, and soon, a grilled piece of meat was handed to the Pirate King, who had to eat it with his cuffs still attached. However, after quickly consuming the meat, bone and all, he quickly sat down, and nodded. "Thanks for the meal. Well, do what you're gonna do, then."_

_As the guards crossed their blades below Luffy's head, they hesitated, probably due to the sheer aura of magnificence he was emitting. However, before they were about to stab him with the blades, a voice called up to the platform. "HEY, PIRATE KING!" a man called, as he looked at Luffy with a excited look on his face. "You… you've hid it somewhere, haven't you? The great treasure Gold Roger hid; One Piece! Where is it now?!"_

_Silence reigned over the field, as they awaited Luffy's response, which didn't seem to occur at all. Then, Luffy began snickering, before breaking out into full laughter, which again confused the amassed crowd, Danny included. "You want the treasure, do you?"_

_At once, the guards hastily hoisted their swords in order to cut Luffy's final speech short. "Well, search for it! It's hidden just where I found it ages ago." And as Luffy said this, the blades pierced his heart, ending his famed legacy, on nearly the same words Roger had ended his on. And with this, the crowd exploded in cheer, as the guards could only gape upon seeing Luffy's smile frozen on his dead body, forever the same as his predecessor._

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"It's a day I'll never forget, even if I die." Danny said, as he wiped a small tear from the corner of his eye, when he noticed Zugai doing the same. "It's touching for you as well, right? It's a mutual feeling amongst the men of the sea, to reminiscence about the famed heroes of the past era…"

Zugai nodded slightly. "Yeah, whatever you say…" he muttered, as he continued wiping his eye, as he in reality had gotten something stuck in it, but he figured that he didn't want to come off as rude, as it might have made Danny's story sound boring.

As the two stood by the platform, two other persons stood inside an alley, observing Zugai's every movement. "Right, Sam, you got this, eh?" one of them said, this being Cameron Leon, as he held something resembling brass knuckles on his right hand, with the knuckles of this weapon sporting five claw-like knives, which he licked with his long tongue.

Sam nodded, as he tightened the grip of an axe, the weapon being about the size of a barrel, with the blade taking up one fourth of the size. "We'll get started on him right away."

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The Shopping District was, like the plaza, crowded, but not as much. Right now, Chris, KC and Krystal were walking through the district, looking at the various shops they came across. "God, how many stores can there really be in one place?" Chris sighed, as she rubbed her hat in disbelief. "I've counted seven stores selling nothing but women's clothing, and we haven't come across a single store which sells weapons!"

Krystal patted Chris's back in support, as she looked around. "Don't get too down on yourself. I'm pretty sure we'll find something different soon."

"She's right, Chris." KC added, as he looked around him. "Besides, wearing that jacket all the time's gotta be painfully hot, isn't it? You could at least see if you could find a smaller one."

Chris merely chuckled to herself. "I think that's something a certain captain of ours should be focusing on." she said with a smile, as the three broke into laughter, as they all suddenly remembered the tattered jacket he always wore.

Just then, KC noticed a certain store just a few feet away from them, reading "Arms and Armory", and another store just by it reading "Fantastic Firearms". Nodding, he pulled the sleeve of Krystal's shirt. "Hey, I think we can find some weapons in those stores!"

Krystal noticed the two shops, and nodded. "Finally! Hey, Chris, we'll go on ahead, if you don't mind!" she said, as she and KC went inside the two stores, leaving Chris behind.

"Sure, go on, you guys!" she called, as her eyes followed the pair until they went inside, before she looked around the street, sighing. "There's just so many clothing shops around here…" she muttered, before she noticed a fruit stand, which boasted some extraordinarily large oranges. "Oh, those look delicious! I wonder what they cost…" she muttered, as she approached the stand, before she accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh, sorry, guess I didn't see ya!" she said half-heartedly, as she attempted to continue forward, when she felt metal grabbing her shoulder.

"My, I haven't heard that voice in a long time…" the stranger said, as Chris looked up the arm of the man who had grabbed her, to see a man wearing feudal armor, helmet included, towering over her. His left hand was covered by a gauntlet, but his right one was not, revealing that his middle finger was missing. "Hello, little brat." he said in an intimidating tone. "How's your gay boss doing?" As she got a better look at him, Chris finally realized who it was; it was Kemono, one of Count Megtapos' elite guards.

Seeing the larger man invoked some memories from back at Ajito Island, but she withheld them, and smiled brightly. "Well, if it ain't Commy! How's it going?"

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Inside of the firearms store, Krystal was examining the various bows hanging on display, comparing some of them to her old bow, which, to be honest, really had seen better days. The store clerk who she had appointed to help her really didn't contribute much, either. "And you are sure you're not interested in a crossbow?" he asked, to which she only shook her head.

"Using a crossbow only dulls the skill of handling a real bow." she said, as she was weighing a reddish bow in comparison to her old one. "I prefer tugging the string instead of just loading a bolt into a cannon."

"Completely understandable, lassie." a different voice said from the other side of the room, which drew Krystal's attention towards it, mostly because of the inescapable Australian accent. And sure enough, there stood someone wearing a fedora, inspecting the various rifles. He was wearing a red T-shirt and a brown vest, and on his back was a sniper rifle Krystal just knew too well. "Archers are completely different from gunmen, such as I." the man said without turning around, before pointing at a bow hanging not too far from the rifles. "That there's a good one, I'll say."

Krystal blinked upon seeing the man, but decided to inspect the bow in question. Truth be told, it wasn't a very large bow, only a few centimeters bigger than half of Craigmirra, but there was something about its light-green hue that intrigued Krystal. "That there, lassie, that's the Artemis Bow." the stranger said, as he finally turned to face Krystal, revealing his sunglasses, which led Krystal to realize that it was Shageki, her opponent from Ajito Island. "It's said that the goddess herself wielded that bow in battle, but I figure you know mythology more so than I… ain't that right, Explosive Archer?"

"Well, eh…" Krystal began, as she wondered why her adversary was in Lougetown, before she remembered that out of the Elite Four members they had met (apart from Jin), he had been the most honorable. "I…" Then, she suddenly turned to the clerk, grabbing the bow as she did so. "I'll take this!"

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"What do you mean, you don't sell falcatas here?!" KC yelled at the woman by the counter in annoyance, as he hadn't found a single sword that could match his pair.

"I mean that we ain't selling blades like that here." the woman said lazily, as she was looking at her own nails, instead of at the flustered KC. "You can't find blades like that in East Blue; you gotta come from West Blue, or something like that."

KC grumbled, as he looked at the swords hanging on the walls. "Then how the hell did Sean get a hold of these…?" he muttered, before he quickly looked back at the lady. "Then what kind of weapon can you recommend instead?"

As the woman was about to point at a few barrels containing second-rate swords, a sheath, complete with sword, was slammed on the counter. The sheath was dark red, and the purple handle of the katana it housed was twice as long as a standard katana handle. Intrigued, KC grabbed the handle of it, and slowly pulled out the blade of the katana, which was forged out of stainless steel, being as clear as a mirror. "Do you like it?" a female voice said, which brought KC attention behind him. There, a blond woman wearing a kimono was standing over him, eying the sword in his hands. "Meitou Zanmato. One of the 21 O Wazamono, it's said that the first owner of blade could cut through anything, including the elements."

KC instantly recognized the woman; this was none other than Osae Kikai from Ajito Island. However, he remained calm, as he inspected the blade. "Cut the elements? It's gotta be some old guy, then; neither Zoro's Wado Ichimonji nor Mihawk's Kokutou Yoru could do that." With that said, he sheathed the blade, and looked at the clerk, who was only gaping at the blade. "How much was this again?"

Just as the woman was about to answer with a stutter, some commotion was heard outside, as Osae quickly ran out of the shop, only to see Kemono chasing after Chris, which made her sigh in disbelief, as she pressed her fingers against her forehead. "That guy's still sore about his finger?"

"Bloody 'ell, he can't go on his own way without causing some trouble, can he?" Shageki's voice called, as he emerged from the store as well, followed shortly by Krystal. Soon, KC joined up with them, as they watched the chase. "'ey, should we help 'im, or something?"

Krystal shrugged, as she crossed her arms. "Eh, five more minutes, when Commy runs out of breath." she said, which led to Shageki, KC and Osae looking at her with confused looks.

"Hey, who's Commy?" Osae asked, before getting a glare from Kemono, who had stopped to catch his breath, especially since Chris was much more agile than him.

"GODAMNIT, ARE YOU GONNA BEGIN CALLING ME THAT TOO?! MY NAME IS KEMONO!" he yelled angrily, before he leant against the wall, removing his helmet as well, revealing his balding head. "Damn runt, making me exert myself…" Suddenly, before anyone could get a hold of the situation, a sound akin to an explosion was heard coming from the plaza, shocking everyone in the district.

-----------------------------

"What was that just now?" Back with Nampu's group, the explosion at the plaza had garnered their attention as well. Nampu looked towards the plaza, as he and Netok were holding bags of ice over their faces to make the swollenness sink, but beatings from Shin had only made it worse.

"It came from the plaza." Shin said in a calm tone, as she packed some sowing equipment into smaller paper bag, revealing that she had taken Nampu's bag and sewn it into a makeshift sheath for his iron pipe. "But I still don't see why you wanted me to do this, Nampu."

Nampu shrugged, as he grabbed the finished bag-sheath, tying it to his belt, before inserting the iron pipe into it, making sure it was easy to slide it in and out of it. "I feel like I can't fight without the pipe, at least, even with Netok's training."

Netok merely shrugged as she saw the iron pipe by Nampu's hip. "Your boxing's as good as can get, thanks to the training, but just cuz you use a pipe, doesn't mean you can slack off!" she said, her lazy face still prominent. Then, her face flared up once more, looking towards the plaza. "But still, that worries me over there…" she said in a lazy tone, before looking over at Nampu. "You guys go and check it out, or something. It'll be a perfect way to show off your new moves, Nampu."

Jin looked towards the plaza as well. "I don't think we should go there just to show off, but the others could be there." he said, as he looked over at Nampu. "Let's just see what happens there; maybe we'll find them there."

Nampu looked towards the plaza as well, before nodding. "C'mon, we got a plaza to check out!" he said, as he quickly ran in the direction of the plaza, followed shortly by Jin, Shin and Craigmirra. Netok watched them leave, as she sighed to herself.

"Ah, I see you've acquainted yourself with some new friends, Ensign Najun." a male voice spoke behind her, as she turned around to see a suit of golden armor looking at her.

"Well, if it ain't Captain Kishikiyoi!" she said enthusiastically, though she only glanced lazily at him. "What, you gonna chew me out because I'm not wearing my uniform?"

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At the plaza, people were running in fear away from two pairs clashing against each other; Cameron Leon and Sam were busy fighting against Zugai and a reluctant Danny, who had been forcefully drawn into the fight. "Hey, hey, now, friends, let's all calm down for a minute!" Danny called, as he barely avoided a slice from Sam's axe, landing only a few feet from him.

"We'll calm down when we've killed you two." Sam said in a murderous tone, as he delivered a kick at Danny, who was for some reason flung all the way to the other side of the plaza, crashing into a wall.

Zugai frowned, as he slammed his own axe against Leon's brass knives, which began pushing Zugai away from him. "Hey, would you explain why the hell you tried killing me?" he exclaimed in annoyance, as he leapt away from Leon, who once again used his long tongue to lick his knives.

"Why, for money, of course!" Leon answered in a snide, cynical tone, as he began chuckling sinisterly. "Don't think that people will pay for your head just because you have a bounty, Demon's Orthopedic." he added, as he stretched his tongue around like a whip, slowly approaching Zugai. "But just outright killing you would be boring, so I think I'll torture you for a while."

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**A/N: **DEAR LORD, this chapter took me too long to finish, mostly because I had NO idea how to go about it! So sorry if you thought I've been slacking off all this time, but I promise I'll make it up for the next chapter! Also, **Kisadota-The Freak Gamer **is the one responsible for Danny Jointure, and **Eiichiro Oda** is responsible for Monkey D. Luffy… wait, he's not really a fan-made character, is he? Not to mention it's only a flashback, so… Also, the knives Cameron Leon used for fighting are called Bagh Nakh, in case you were wondering about that. So, remember to read, review and renjoy! *is shot for horrible pun*

**YolkaEd**


	25. One Final Stop part 5

In the Shopping District, people were looking towards the plaza with shock, unaware of what could have caused such an explosion. However, those really shocked about the plaza explosion were Chris, KC and Krystal, who knew that a certain captain of theirs just happened to be there at this moment.

"He just can't stay out of trouble for long, can he?" KC said in shock, as he looked down at the sword he was holding in his hands; the Zanmato. He hadn't got time to pay for it just yet, but he couldn't let his captain wait any longer, in case Zugai hadn't caused the explosion himself on purpose. "Oh, what should I do…?" he muttered, as he noticed Chris already running ahead of them through the crowd. "H-hey, wait up, Chris!" he called, as he was about to turn around to pay for the sword, when Osae stepped in front of him.

"If you really need to go, then I'll pay for the sword!" she said, as she motioned for KC to go on towards the plaza, before she went towards the counter.

KC stood there dumbfounded for a moment, before nodding briefly. Then, he quickly spun around and ran after Chris. "Krystal, hurry up! Zugai might need us!"

Krystal nodded once she heard KC call for her; unlike him, she had paid for her new weapon, which was now hanging on her back. However, just before she ran after them, she looked towards Shageki with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you guys here, anyway?" she asked, not to sound rude, but they had been enemies back on Ajito Island.

"Why, can't a group of earlier bodyguards go around in town for some shopping?" Shageki said in a playful tone, though he got more serious when he saw that Krystal didn't exactly crack a smile. "Well, we're kinda unemployed at the moment, so we're looking around to see if we can't find some jobs, but we're having some damn bad luck."

Krystal nodded briefly, as she turned to leave, when she felt her hand being grabbed. "Now hold on, lassie! If you really want to get to the plaza quickly…" Shageki began, as he motioned for Kemono to get closer to them. "You oughta take the rooftops."

"The roof?" Krystal asked dumbfounded, when she suddenly realized that if she did go by the roofs, she'd not only get to the plaza quicker, but she'd also have an advantage against enemies, in case Zugai had been attacked, or something along those lines. "But how am I gonna get up-"

"Leave that to 'im." Shageki replied, as he walked inside the firearms shop again, when Kemono suddenly grabbed Krystal, and threw her up on the roof. As he heard her yelling in shock, he turned towards Kemono and shook his head. "Don't you think you were a little rough? I swear, you don't know your own strength…"

"I do too!" Kemono snapped back, as he looked at the roof he had thrown Krystal too, to see that she had begun running for the plaza. "But I kind of wanted that girl to be the little runt who took my finger."

"Sheesh, you just won't let it go, will ya?" Shageki sighed, as he turned away from him. "At least she didn't get something worse than a bloody finger…"

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**One Final Stop part 5**

**Two-On-Two or Free-For-All?**

* * *

Zugai quickly avoided a horizontal slash from Leon's blades, before swinging his axe at his foe, only for it to once again be met with those claws. Annoyed, he pushed away from Leon, but his foe quickly caught up to him, his right hand reeled back for a punch. "I'm gonna enjoy tearing you apart!" he yelled, as he suddenly stabbed his hand into Zugai, letting his claws penetrate his skin.

However, Zugai had hardened his bones in the nick of time, saving him from being killed, though the claws still left a cut on his chest. Then, he managed to grab Leon's hand before he could pull it away from his body, as he reeled his own head back. "Dokurokanpan!" he yelled, as he slammed his head into Leon's, creating a bone-shattering impact that sent his adversary flying away.

However, as Leon was flying, he suddenly looked over at Zugai, and shot his own tongue towards Zugai, striking his left leg, which made it coil itself around it. "Tongue Whip!" he subsequently yelled, as he jerked his head to the left, yanking Zugai off the ground, sending him flying into the wall behind Leon, thus creating a shockwave powerful enough to stop his flight.

As Zugai quickly got up, he noticed Danny trying to avoid Sam's attacks, though he was doing rather poorly. "What's wrong, you imbecile?" Sam said threateningly, as he raised his foot once Danny was a distance away from him. "Don't tell me that's all you have? Ground Dance." Then, he slammed the foot into the ground, as the ground towards Danny began elevating itself, eventually becoming a path of emerging rocks heading at him with full force.

"How the hell'd ya do that?" Danny said wonderingly as he saw the jagged rock-path head towards him, but now, he didn't run; instead, he pointed at the approaching path with his right middle and index finger pointing at it, as energy began building up around them. "Divisive Beam!" Then, a beam shot out of his fingers, and once it struck the beam, the path split itself into two paths; one sent crashing into a wall, and the other heading for Leon.

"Hey, what the hell?!" Leon yelled, as he quickly shot his tongue at the top of the building Zugai had been slammed into, before hoisting himself up to it, actually looking like he was sticking to it, when it was really his tongue holding him in place. "A Devil Fruit user?"

"Aren't you one, too?!" he heard Zugai yell, as he suddenly noticed Zugai behind him, in the air, axe at the ready. However, just as Zugai slashed downwards with his axe, Leon shot his tongue at a different building, yanking himself off the building before Zugai cut it.

"What? No, I'm not!" Leon yelled defensively, as he looked over at Zugai, who had begun falling down in mid-air. "But you shouldn't worry about that just yet!" he added sinisterly, as he shot his tongue back at the building Zugai had cut, sending him flying back onto it, before he suddenly leapt off, aimed over Zugai's body. "Flying Heel Drop!" As he said this, he performed a heel drop on Zugai's body, sending him flying straight into the ground.

As he did this, Sam had stopped pursuing Danny, and now looked at Zugai's fallen body. "He is downed, but not defeated. However, he will soon be crushed." Then, he raised his foot again, but this time, it began glowing. "Now, feel the power of my footsteps. Heavy Step." Then, as he brought the foot down, everything around him began sinking into the ground, as if they were being crushed by something. "Not even gravity escapes my steps." he said calmly, as the entire plaza slowly was crushed by some unknown force.

"What… the… hell…" Leon muttered, as he had gotten back on the wall, but his body was being forced downwards, despite his tongue still being stuck on the wall. "Are… you… doing?!" Then, in a desperate attempt, he let go of the building, before swinging his tongue around Honehakaisha, as he sent it flying towards Sam, before he fell into the ground.

However, Sam noticed the axe approaching him, and all of a sudden, the area around him straightened itself. "Standing Tall." he muttered, as the axe immediately came in contact with his body, yet neither he nor it moved a single inch upon impact. "Hmph, this is supposed to be an axe?" he said, as he grabbed Honehakaisha, lifting it like it was made of paper. "It's not properly constructed." Then, he suddenly threw the axe at the execution platform, letting it get itself stuck on the platform.

"Hey, what the hell do ya think you're doing?!" Zugai yelled, as he ran towards Sam, his fist reeled back. "Honehakaisha's my treasure, and nobody's gonna look down on her!" However, before he got in range, he suddenly felt himself stuck, unable to move at all. "H-hey, what gives?" he muttered, as he attempted to break free, but he didn't know from what. Then, he looked down at his feet, only to see concrete sandals covering his feet for some reason. "Wha- The hell is this?!" he yelled, as he attempted to break free, but to no avail.

"Sandal Offer." Sam said with malice in his tone, calm though it was. "My Devil Fruit, the Geta Geta no Mi, allows me to step on anything, including air, gravity… and other's feet. You are stuck, and at my mercy." Then, Zugai looked up to see Sam raising his axe over his head. "Sadly, I lack any sort of mercy. Red Sandal."

However, before he could violently lodge the axe into Zugai's head, a beam struck him, and Sam's axe seemingly went cleanly through Zugai's body, until he noticed that in Zugai's place stood two of the same person, both looking quite alike; in fact, they were identical, even down to the tattered jacket that partially revealed a scar.

"Phew, looks like my Yin Yang Beam still works." Zugai heard Danny say, as Danny walked towards the three, wiping his brow in relief. However, before Zugai could ask him about what happened, the other Zugai suddenly grabbed the first one, holding him so that he was unable to move. "I ate the Waru Waru no Mi, so I can split a single object into two, and even split humans into two beings. However, the Yin Yang Beam creates an evil counterpart of the one I zapped, so naturally, he'll try to kill you."

As Zugai struggled to get out of his evil clone's grip, he looked accusingly at Danny. "Why the hell are you doing this?!" he said, before biting down on his clone's hand, only to stop it in pain when he felt his own hand writhe in agony.

"Ah, I forgot to mention; what one clone experiences will happen to the other." Danny said in a forgetful tone, before looking at Sam. "Besides, I don't think I told you, but I'm a bounty hunter, so you're kind of fair game. Also…" Then, he pointed at Sam, shaking his head in disappointment. "That man is wanted on multiple accounts of sexual harassment, thievery, murder and violation of the female sex; Geta Axe Sam, worth 20,000,000 Beri."

Just then, Danny noticed someone flying behind him, as he looked back to see Leon in the air, licking his lips in anticipation. "Then I guess I'm safe, then!" he said mockingly, as his tongue began twisting itself into a ball at the end. "Tongue Strike!" he yelled, as he sent the tongue smashing into Danny, sending him flying towards the two Zugais.

However, before impact, Danny pointed his index and middle fingers at the Zugais, letting energy build up around them. "Connection Beam!" he yelled, as the energy in his fingers engulfed the Zugais, turning them into one person again, who ducked under Danny as he flew over him. "No problem!" he yelled, as he crashed into a wall again.

Zugai growled, as he looked at Leon and Sam again. "Who is it that's paying you two to kill me, anyway?" he asked, as he looked at the two with annoyed eyes.

"He didn't give us a name." Leon began, as he licked some blood off his claws. "But he left us a message…" he began, as he looked at Sam, who was brushing dust off his shirt.

"The Orthopedic has intervened in my plans one too many times. As the most renowned killers in East Blue, I entrust you to be rid of him. This, the Steel Scythe has told us." he said, as he looked down at Zugai, who had gotten into a fighting stance. "Do you honestly think you can take both of us on? Your partner just admitted that he intends to take you in."

Zugai nodded briefly, as he closed his eyes. "Even so, you two can't stop me. I'm going to the Grand Line, and there's nothing either you two, Danny or this Steel Scythe can do about it." he said, as his arms began shaking.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Leon asked, as he clenched his right hand into a fist. "Eh, what do I care?! I'm gonna kill you, anyway!" Then, he rushed towards Zugai, preparing to uppercut him in quite the literal sense. "Upperslash!"

However, as he slashed upwards, the sound of metal striking metal was heard, as he saw that his blades had connected to something ivory. "What the…" Then, he noticed that he had actually struck Zugai's right arm, but not the flesh, rather the bone itself! The bone had emerged from the shoulder socket, leaving the arm itself to hang loosely from its side. "What the hell happened to your arm?!" he yelled in shock, as he quickly separated himself from Zugai.

"This is my Hagasukaijo." Zugai replied, as he looked at his bony arm, before letting the skeletal hand clench itself into a fist. "Usually, my powers allow me to remove bones from peoples bodies; however, Hagasukaijo allows me to limp my very own skin, so that I can fight with my arm bare. And I should mention…" Then, he grabbed Leon with his left hand, as he reeled back his right. "Getting hit with bare bones hurts more than getting hit with a normal fist." Then, he thrust his hand forward, nearly punching Leon, when…

"Equality Kick." Then, both Zugai and Leon felt something pierce their bodies, as both of them were flung across the plaza, both of them crashing into a wall. As they came too, they saw Sam standing with his right leg extended, as if he had kicked at the air, and upon inspecting the wall, they saw that the sign for equality had been imprinted upon the wall.

"Gnh…" Leon muttered, as he groggily got up, before pointing at Sam. "Hey, what the hell do you think you're pulling?! Steel Scythe's counting on both of us to bring this guy in!" he yelled, though he got no reaction from Sam.

"You were in my way." he replied briefly, as he began walking towards Leon and Zugai. "Make sure not to get in my way again, or you'll be sorry." However, just before he got to them, he spun around and blocked a cutlass from striking him with his axe, showing that Danny was still in the game. "You won't give up either, will you?"

Danny smirked, though he didn't say anything. Then, they heard the sound of metal being kicked, as they noticed another Danny having climbed on top of the execution platform, before he had kicked Honehakaisha off where it was stuck. "Hey, Orthopedic, I think this was yours!" he called, as both Sam and Leon looked dumbfounded at the two clones.

Then, Zugai broke into a run, the skin of his right arm fusing with his skeletal arm, making it normal once more. Before he could get caught by Leon, he leapt into the air, and grabbed Honehakaisha with both of his hands. "Thanks, Danny! Now, Hagasukaijo!" Then, the skin on both his arms began shaking, as their bones shot out of the arms, though the flesh-bound hands still held Honehakaisha firmly.

Leon did a double-take upon seeing Zugai's new form, which looked nearly monstrous in comparison to the normal Zugai. "What the hell did ya do now?!" he yelled, as Zugai landed on the ground.

"This is a fighting style I've dubbed…" Zugai began, as he looked over at Leon and Sam. "Yonbyo Shibuso Honeono." As he said this, he turned around, his limp arms swaying whilst holding Honehakaisha, as his bony arms were motioning the two to come at him. "Think you can best it?" he added mockingly.

"Don't underestimate me, you prick!" Leon yelled, as he ran towards Zugai, clutching his right hand into a fist. "It doesn't matter if ya have four, six or even a thousand arms; I'll cut them right off your corpse!!!" However, as he punched at Zugai, his adversary twisted his body so that Honehakaisha's blade blocked the incoming punch. "Wha?!"

Then, Zugai quickly grabbed hold of Leon's left leg, struggling to drag something out. "I'll just borrow your femur a little!" Then, he pulled out Leon's femur straight out of his leg, paralyzing his leg.

"Goddamnit, what's wrong with my leg?!" Leon grunted, as he tried to move his leg, but to no avail. In anger, he began slashing repeatedly at Zugai, who merely blocked them by twisting his body so that Honehakaisha absorbed the blows.

Just as this was going on, on the roof, Krystal had finally gotten to the site of the fight, only to see all the chaos caused by the four fighters. "My god, he doesn't know how to restrain himself, does he?" she muttered, as she looked down at Zugai, which shocked her upon seeing his new fighting style. "What the… never mind, it's probably his Deviø Fruit at work." she reassured herself, as she looked at the two Danny's and Sam. "Maybe they're also fighting him?" she wondered, as she reached hesitantly for her bow.

Just then, Sam looked up to see Krystal, and at once, his eyes widened, and he began grinning in a manner that was just creepy. "A woman… good stuff, I'll take it." Then, he delivered a strong kick at the building Krystal was standing on, making her plummet off it once she lost balance, and when she got in reach, Sam quickly grabbed her by the throat, holding her into the air. "And you're just my kind of girl as well!" he said excitedly, as he licked his lips, turning his back from the wall. "I'll just have to knock you out for a minute, and when I'm done with the scum, we can have us a good time."

Upon hearing that, Krystal began kicking at Sam's body, struggling to get out of his grip, but that only led to him putting her down, which immediately led to her being unable to move. "What the… Let me go now, you creep!" she yelled, as she hammered her fists into his body, as she figured that a bowshot at this close range would be hazardous to herself.

"Relax, little whelp…" Sam said, as he slowly raised his leg, preparing to kick Krystal in the gut. "It'll all be over soon." he added with a malicious undertone, as he noticed Krystal's worried look. "That look in your eyes… it makes you women so damn feisty!"

"Sanju Ken…" A new voice distracted Sam from his heinous deed, as he looked around the area to ascertain the identity of this speaker, when the area around him only became mist. "KIRI GARI!" Then, the building behind Sam suddenly split itself into three separate parts, as Sam suddenly felt his back being forced open; he had just been cut two different places on his back by a pair of blades. Then, to add to the pain, a third blade stuck itself into his back, before being brought down, driving with it some flesh off his body. If you were witnessing this from the back of the scene, you would see that Sam's back now adorned a rather large Z-shaped scar.

As he fell to the ground in pain, the mist faded, and Krystal got to see just who had shown up to her aid; as it turned out, it was KC and Chris, with KC now holding Zanmato between his teeth, and Chris holding her crescent moon dagger between her fingers, resembling a crooked claw. "You guys took your sweet time, didn't you?" Krystal said jokingly, as she found that she could move her legs again.

"Well, what'd you expect?" Chris started, as she scratched her head. "You took the shortcut, didn't you?"

"Well, I'm just glad we got here in time." KC shot in, as he looked at Sam with disgust. "That bastard… he tried hurting you, didn't he?" he added, as he looked at Krystal with a worried look on his face.

"Well, yeah, but…" Krystal began, as she too looked at Sam. Then, she began wondering just what that man would have done to her if she'd been knocked out by him. "You helped me out, so there's no worries, right?" she added, as she looked at KC again. However, the sound of metal colliding with metal brought their attention to Leon's and Zugai's fight; even though Zugai was wielding two weapons, he couldn't really hit the slender and more agile Leon.

However, unbeknownst to them, Danny had fused back into one being, and was now pointing at Zugai with his index and middle fingers, shaking his head in sadness. "It's too bad, really…" he began, as he got a more serious look on his face. "If I take you in, you'll most likely be executed, and I'll have no one to discuss the history of piracy with…" Sighing, his fingers began emanating with energy. "Well, work's work, right?"

However, before he got to fire the energy, he felt a sudden blow to both his face and his gut, and as he looked down, he noticed Nampu having planted his fist into his face, and Craigmirra having planted her foot into his gut. Uttering a sound reminiscent of "Ah", he was sent flying into a wall as a result of the combined impact. "NO ONE TRIES SHOOTING AT MY ZUGAI, YOU LITTLE ¤#&!"¤&?+/#¤")%&!" Craigmirra yelled at Danny, as she was just about ready to fly at him to pound him, but she was being restrained by Shin.

The sound of Craigmirra cursing suddenly made Zugai jerk his head to the side, when Leon suddenly felt a massive load of water crashing into his face, sending him flying into a wall. Once that happened, Zugai turned his head to see that Jin had disposed of Leon for the moment. Then, he noticed the rest of his crew around him, and broke into a smile. "Hey, guys! Sorry, but these guys came out of nowhere, and I guess I went a little overboard…" he began, as his crew began surrounding him.

"Eh, don't worry too much about it." Nampu said, as he planted a hand on Zugai's shoulder. "Whatever the case, I think we've had enough for one day. What say you we go back to Moon?" However, his speech was cut short when he noticed that Sam, Leon and Danny were getting back up, Sam and Leon looking pissed off, whilst Danny only looked mildly irritated. "Or maybe they haven't had enough yet."

Just then, they could heard many rifles cocking around them, as they noticed Marine soldiers having surrounded all but one gateway to the plaza. "This is a warning to the Geta Axe!" a speaker called, most likely coming from a Den Den Mushi megaphone. "You and your accomplices are not to move a single inch! Civilians, leave the plaza immediately!" When no movement was detected for a while, the speaker cleared his throat. "I SAID, civilians are to leave the plaza immediately!"

Chris looked around, as she quickly nodded with a smirk, nudging her captain. "I think we're the civilians here, captain!" she said, as she smirked.

Zugai looked at the Marines around them, before nodding. Just then, it began raining. "Right then, we gotta go!" he called, as he began running towards the free entrance, followed by his crew. "Now, we're going to the Grand Line!"

As the crew ran off, the soldiers ran up to the weakened Leon and Sam, and the pair was visibly annoyed by this development. Danny, however, only smirked as he was apprehended. "Well, Zugai, guess this is goodbye for now. But I'll see if we won't meet up later, you count on it." he said with a smile, as he looked to the rainy sky. "It's raining… just like that day."

* * *

**A/N: **Oh yeah, this felt good! A long chapter consisting of nearly nothing but fighting is just satisfying to type out. So, with that out of the way, I find myself at a crossroad; with the chapter written as it is, I can just about end the Lougetown arc as it is and move on to the entrance of the Grand Line. However, I think I should type down one last chapter entitling the Cross Skull's escape to the Grand Line. So, what do you guys want? Do you want me to write more Lougetown, or just to get on with it? Send me your opinions via reviews, and I'll be seeing you for the next chapter!

**YolkaEd**


	26. One Final Stop part 6

If one were to leave the plaza via the main street, as the Cross Skull Pirates had done, they would come across a fork splitting into four separate paths on the way to the harbor, and right now, Marines were rushing to get into all of those forks as possible, as word had reached them that some pirates had escaped the plaza together with the civilians. However, whilst three of the paths were filled with almost nothing but regular soldiers, the last one was occupied solely by two individuals; Netok Najun and Kishikiyoi.

Netok had now zipped her black jacket close, and was now wearing a white, Marine-style jacket over it, though the Marine jacket was unzipped, and its sleeves were also cut off. In addition, her jacket's back insignia read out "Moody Justice", rather than the usual "Justice" mark. "So, you sure they were heading this way, Cap'n?" she said lazily, though her facial expression was looking determinedly towards the end of the street.

"That I am, Ensign." Kishikiyoi replied stoically, as he was holding his flail at the ready, though it was impossible to read his facial expression, due to his jaguar-helmet. "But I really do wonder how you missed the fact that you coached a wanted man for nearly seventy matches." he added with a humored tone.

"I didn't read the newest posters, alright?!" Netok yelled angrily, though she looked up at Kishikiyoi with a dull expression. "Besides, even though he's learned pretty much all I know, doesn't mean he can beat me!" she added for good measure, as she threw a few jabs in loose air.

"Your spirit is still as strong as ever, Netok." Kishikiyoi said as he saw Netok throw the jabs. Then, he chuckled slightly, as he looked towards the end of the street. "A strong spirit is just the thing needed to bend the wheel of justice back on its true path, which is to…" Then, he grew silent, as the flail suddenly dropped to the ground, due to him letting go of the chain.

Netok noticed this, and her face grew into a worried one, as she saw Kishikiyoi suddenly collapse to his knees, holding his head. "Hey, Cap'n, you alright?" she asked lazily, though she looked at her superior officer with a look of distress.

Soon, however, Kishikiyoi stood up again, letting go of his head. "Yes, I'm alright…" he muttered, though he sounded different, even though Netok didn't hear it. "Just keep an eye out for them." he added, as he picked up the flail again. However, if he hadn't been wearing his concealing helmet, we would have seen that his face had grown a horrifying grin, as his eyes glinted maliciously…

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**One Final Stop part 6**

**The End of Escape and the Beginning of Entry!**

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The rain was practically flooding the streets of Lougetown, as the Cross Skulls were running away from a Marine convoy that happened to remember their faces from the wanted posters. "But I still wonder why the hell they didn't recognize us back in the plaza, where they practically had us surrounded!" Nampu yelled, as he struggled to keep up with the rest; he simply lacked stamina to keep up all this running, especially combined with his training with Netok.

"Maybe they were more interested in those three guys back there!" KC hollered back to him, as he made sure that Zanmato and its sheath was properly fastened to his belt, as his two other blades hung from his back. "Whatever the case, just be happy that we got out of it!" he added as a joke.

"Jokes aside," Krystal began, as she looked further ahead of them, though the constant barrage of rain splashing against her face forced her to squint her eyes, preventing her from fully seeing what was ahead, "we should find a safe path back to Moon before she's taken by the storm or the Marines."

"It won't be that simple, I'm afraid." Jin chimed in, as he was running alongside Zugai, though he was the only one of the crewmates that was genuinely dry, though that may have been a result of his powers. "Up ahead are four narrow streets, perfect for ambushes. If all eight of us force our way through a single one of them, we could be wasted within seconds."

Shin shook her head upon hearing this. "So, what you're saying is that we need to split up?!" she called to Jin, who only nodded quickly in response. "Oh, son of a- Why can't we just barge our way through them, anyway?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Craigmirra chimed in, as she was riding piggyback on Jin, instead of running like the others did. "I mean, we've screwed anyone trying to fight us over like a piece of cake, so why should this be any harder?" she added, as she was pumping her fist excitedly into the air.

"Says the girl who almost became plant-chow." Chris remarked humorously, as she chuckled whilst Craigmirra pouted upon hearing the reminder of how she nearly had her life ended at the hands of Dojang. "But in all seriousness, we're all pretty tired from today's happenings, so I don't think we're in need of any prolonged fights. What about you, Captain?" she said, as she threw Zugai a glance.

At first, he was silent, but soon, his mouth cracked a smile. "When we get closer to those paths, we split into four groups!" he said, as he looked over his shoulder to see his crewmates running behind him. "Chris goes with Nampu, and Jin'll go with Shin, whilst Krystal and KC go together and Craigmirra's with me!" Just as he relayed his orders, Craigmirra skillfully leapt from Jin's back to Zugai's, holding on tightly.

And soon enough, they came across the four paths, each one leading further into the city, towards the harbor. "Okay, guys, split up! And don't let anything stop you from reaching the harbor!" With that, Krystal and KC ran into the rightmost passage, as Jin and Shin took the leftmost passage. As they did that, Chris and Nampu ran into the inner-rightmost passage, and Zugai and Craigmirra entered the inner-leftmost passage. However, when the Marines that were pursuing them got to the paths, they stopped.

"That's far enough." one of the soldiers said, as he looked into the different paths. "Their captain's got one hell of a surprise waiting for him further inside." Then, he looked to the sky, and pulled his cap over his eyes in annoyance. "We're done here, so let's get inside; this damn weather's gonna give us all a cold." Then, the soldiers began moving away, though five others headed into the rightmost passage, unbeknownst to their superiors.

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At first, let's take a look at Jin and Shin, as they run through their path, with Jin in front, so that Shin would be shielded from the rain splashing against them as they ran. "Say, Shin, I didn't really think much of it, but you wouldn't happen to be that girl who thrashed the Commi Gambling Operation led by Count Megtapos?" Jin asked, as he focused on averting the rain from his face.

"Thrashed?" she replied in a dumbfounded tone. "You mean, as in "I cleaned their clocks on purpose", or "Accidental ass-kicking due to stress"?" she asked in a half-way sarcastic tone, though due to the rain, it could hardly be discerned as such.

"Well, from the reports the Elite Four came across, a certain female wrecked the business going on at Commi Island, with some people even saying that it could have been Nami, the navigator of the Second Pirate King, but eyewitnesses claimed the perpetrator to look more like…" Jin stopped talking, as he noticed some marine troopers staying guard, their backs turned from them. "Well, I think you know what I'm saying, but right now, we push forward!" Then, the rain that surrounded Jin and Shin began changing direction; instead of pouring down on them, it began heading in the direction of the marines. "Mizu Mizu no Hailstorm."

As Jin said this, he spat up at the raindrops, as they began solidifying into ice pebbles, all of them shooting towards the marines, and once they struck, they had the same effect as bullets from a pistol, though not as life-threatening. "Wow, that's a nice move." Shin said after a little while, as the remaining Marines had noticed them. "But we gotta get through there now, so less fancy moves, and more running!" Then, she drew both her dirk and Espada Ropera, as she held the dirk so that the blade pointed to her left, as she simply held the Ropera in a straight line forward, as she rushed through the Marine horde.

However, even though she cut down a few Marines, she wasn't the main point of interest for the Marines, as they were more interested in catching Jin, him being the Water Lord and all. But even with these forces facing him, Jim remained undaunted, as he merely began snapping his fingers. "C'mon, I'm not gonna hurt you!" he said tauntingly, as he looked up at the roofs, where water was pouring down on the pavement. "At least, not that much." he added, as he snapped his fingers more rapidly now.

Then, the water pouring down from the roofs began forming themselves into humanoid beings created from water, intimidating the incoming marines ever so slightly. "Mizu Mizu no Soldier: Mindless Army!" As he said this, the beings immediately rushed at the soldiers, their fists burning (not in the literal sense) as they smacked the marines away long enough for Jin to simply run through without much of an effort on his part.

As he caught up with Shin, she merely shook her head with a smile. "I didn't think you'd be that unwilling to fight any soldiers, Jin." she said mockingly, as she punched his shoulder lightly.

To this, Jin merely chuckled. "I didn't feel like hitting them myself just then, that's all." he said briefly with a shrug, as he laughed. "I guess I'm just being lazy, but hey, what can ya do?" As the two of them laughed, they got closer and closer to the harbor…

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As that went on, Krystal and KC were also busy, though they obviously had their hands more occupied than Shin and Jin; Marines were practically running at them from everywhere, though nobody could even hope to stop their charge.

KC, in particular, had a real blast fighting the marines that actually wanted a piece of him, though fighting so much with a sword in his mouth, together with his falcatas, proved to be more of a challenge than he had thought, since he had only had Zanmato in his mouth for a few seconds, when he and Chris saved Krystal from Sam. Despite his little handicap, the inexperienced soldiers he faced didn't seem to notice his struggles, and as a result fell quicker for his poorly-delivered swings than any other enemy KC had ever encountered.

Krystal, on the other hand, kept her distance from the marines, though not because she was afraid of fighting them, but because she needed distance in order to fire her arrows at the mooks, creating explosion upon explosion, which the rain seemed to dampen a little, but she didn't really care that much about the weather. "Hey, KC, mind if I say something?" she called, as she let go of another arrow from Artemis, sending some more marines flying into a wall as a result of it.

KC looked over at her just after he had knocked a soldier out with the handle of his left falcata. "Sure, go ahead." he said briefly, as he quickly cut down another marine trying to cut him down.

"Well, the thing is…" Krystal began, as she released another arrow, before looking over at KC. "Um, thanks for saving me from that creep back there." she added, as she briefly nodded.

KC returned the nod briefly, before he quickly kicked a different marine into a wall. "Well, it was the least I could do. Besides, you'd probably do the same for me, right?" he replied, as he redirected his focus back to mowing down the marines that got in his way, as all three of his blades flared up, creating a field of steam around him. "Yaki Sagiri!" Then, he cut through the marines in his way, and continued running.

"Yeah…" Krystal nodded, as she began running after him, firing her bow at groups of marines who were trying to approach her. "I guess I would." As she said this, however, she failed to notice the marines that had run down the same passage were now in firing range, and that they had their rifles loaded. However, before they could fire, their rifles were suddenly cut apart, and each of the five soldiers got a syringe stuck in his neck, making them faint instantly.

"Did we really need to do that?" a female voice seemingly asked herself, as on the roof, three silhouettes were visible, and as a thunderbolt cracked down, they were revealed as Osae Kikai, Kemono and Shageki. "I mean, what do we owe those guys?"

"Well, they did hand us our arses back on Ajito…" Shageki began, as he watched KC and Krystal run towards the harbor. "So it'd be pretty damn disappointin' if some mooks went ahead and swiped our potential rematch from us, eh?" As he said that, he turned away from the runaways, as Osae and Kemono followed him.

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With Nampu and Chris, they were also facing a multitude of marines, even more so than KC and Krystal. However, the two of them were undaunted by this, as they easily cut a path through the marines, though Chris did this more literate than Nampu. With her crescent dagger held like brass knuckles in her right hand, and her double-sided dagger spinning in her left, she was practically cutting down any and all opposition she faced. "Say, Nampu, sorry about what happened back on Ajito, that was rude of me!" she called to her partner, as she just sliced the hand off a marine holding a cutlass.

"No worries about that, Chris!" Nampu called back, as he quickly punched down the marines heading at him. "Hade Straight!" A fist flew straight into the gut of a larger marine, knocking the air out of him, as Nampu reeled his left fist downward, looking up at the larger man. "Hade Uppercut!" Just as he said that, Nampu jumped into the air, as his left hand curved into a uppercut, which struck the marine's chin, sending him toppling over. Though Nampu shook his left hand in pain, he still laughed at his minor victory. "Suck on that one, biggie!" he said mockingly, as he looked towards the end of the street, though his smirk waned when he saw even more marines heading for them.

"Shit, they just won't let up, will they?" Chris sighed, as she quickly sheathed her double-sided dagger, before putting the handle of her crescent dagger between her middle and index fingers, as she looked towards the incoming marines. "Now, let's see what these guys are made-" Before she could finish her sentence, she saw that all of a sudden, the incoming marines were cut all over their bodies, as they quickly fell to the ground. "Wha- what the hell happened to them?!" she yelled a little annoyed, mostly due to her missing out on the action.

"I don't know, but I'll take it!" Nampu yelled, as he broke into a run, though he was forced to stop in order to catch his breath. "We can't… hang around for too long… or more of 'em will show up!"

"In that case, why're you just standing around?" Chris said sarcastically, as she grabbed Nampu's arm, before dragging him after her through the street. However, if they had looked up on the roof, they would have seen a man up on the roof with an afro and disco-esque clothing, sitting and looking down at the two of them.

"Sorry I couldn't pay you any sooner…" he said to himself, as the same thunderbolt from before struck to reveal him as Supin Kosudi. "You don't know it yet, but consider this the first payment, little storm." he added, as he looked down at his circular blade, before beginning to headbang to the beat of raindrops strumming against the roof.

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"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" If you had been walking the same street as Zugai did, you would have heard the same question being repeated again and again by Craigmirra, as the two got closer and closer to the harbor.

"I told you when you asked for the 65th time, Craigmirra, we're not there yet!" Zugai replied with a hint of annoyance in his tone, something that Craigmirra interpreted as a hint of her having to shut up. At least, until…

"Sooo… Are we there yet?"

The question only made Zugai sigh in annoyance, until he noticed something ahead of them. "Craigmirra, hang on tight, I think I gotta run through here!" As he said this, one of the things Zugai had spotted began approaching them; it was Netok, who had a look of annoyance on her face, as she ran towards Zugai and Craigmirra whilst in a boxing stance. "Sheesh, someone's heading right for us…"

Just as Zugai said that, however, Craigmirra leapt off his back, and dashed straight towards Netok, throwing several pink bubbles at her. "You stay away from Zugai, old hag!" she yelled in between throwing bubbles.

Just then, however, Netok's eyes widened in anger, as she rushed through the bubbles Craigmirra was throwing. "WHO'S AN OLD HAG AROUND HERE, YOU LITTLE BRAT?!" she yelled, as she was suddenly surrounded by a fiery aura, before she reached Craigmirra, only to deliver a devastating straight punch at the smaller girl, though her palm was open during the hit. "Handfläche Streik!"

The blow proved to be even more devastating to Craigmirra than it had been to Nampu, as she was flung right towards Zugai, who fortunately caught her in midair. "Hey, you okay?" he asked her, though the first reply was a groggy mumble. "I'll take that as a yes." he muttered, as he looked at Netok, who still had the fiery aura around her.

"Huh, I guess that Devil Fruit does have its uses." a different voice said, as Zugai quickly noticed Kishikiyoi, spinning his flail around. "Who'd have thought it?" he added, as he sent the flail flying towards Zugai. In desperation, Zugai grabbed Craigmirra and threw her out of the way, only to be struck by the massive flail head-on.

"ZUGAI!" Craigmirra yelled in panic, as her captain crashed into the pavement. However, when she saw Kishikiyoi prepare another swing at Zugai, a pink aura exploded around her. "WHAT THE F%¤& DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU F%"!/€? !{%() %"&{} []#&{]+(]!" she yelled, as she ran towards Kishikiyoi with her arms spinning, but Netok quickly intercepted her. "DON'T GET IN MY WAY, BITCH! PINK TYPHOON OF THE KAWAII UMBRELLA!!!" she yelled, as her pupils shrunk to the point that you'd debate if she had gone insane.

"I COULD SAY THE SAME TO YOU! JUSTIZ STAUSTUFE!" Netok yelled in response to this, and once the two got in range of each other, their fists began colliding with each other at a rapid pace, as the rain falling around them evaporated into small orbs of steam before being blown away by the sheer aura of the two fighters; though Netok stuck strictly to boxing, Craigmirra took the liberty of throwing in a few kicks and headbutts, but it was going on so quickly that you'd need slow-motion to even see the blows.

Kishikiyoi grumbled, as he began swinging the flail over his head, looking at Netok and Craigmirra. "Sorry to do this, but you stand in the way of absolute justice!" he said, as he suddenly threw the flail towards the two fighting girls, intending to flatten both of them.

However, within a fraction of a second, the flail suddenly disconnected from the chain, before being split in half, as it flew right past Netok and Craigmirra; however, whilst Craigmirra kept her fighting spirit intact, Netok lost focus upon impact, as her fiery aura faded away, which led Craigmirra to grin wickedly. "DON'T LOSE FOCUS!" she yelled, as she suddenly leapt up to reach Netok's head, before delivering a massive kick that sent the ensign flying into a wall. Then, as she landed, she looked ahead to see that Zugai had cut off the chain and sliced the flail in half with Honehakaisha.

"Hate to do this, Kishikiyoi…" Zugai began, as he eyed the Marine captain, before spinning his axe around, holding it behind him when finished. "But you can't go around smashing your subordinates like that! Craigmirra, jump over here!"

Craigmirra nodded briefly, as she ran towards Zugai, before leaping into the air. "LET'S KICK THIS GUY'S ASS!" she yelled, but she stopped when she felt her feet touch something that was not the pavement, but rather the flat side of Honehakaisha. "H-hey, what the-"

"Here goes! Honehakaisha Nakama Torpedo: Kawaii Umbrella Shot!" Zugai yelled, as he suddenly swung Honehakaisha with full force, sending Craigmirra flying straight towards Kishikiyoi.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!" she yelled at first, but her pink aura suddenly exploded to even bigger proportions when she got closer to Kishikiyoi. "DON'T GET IN MY WAY, BASTARD!!!" she yelled, as she reeled her fist backwards, before punching it straight into Kishikiyoi's armor; though it didn't crack, the force from not only the make-shift torpedo, but also Craigmirra's rage-induced power-up, was more than enough to leave a dent in the armor, as Kishikiyoi was sent flying a distance away from them, before crashing into the ground.

"Nice one, Craigmirra!" Zugai called, as he grabbed Craigmirra, before continuing to run. "Sorry if I was a little rough, but I had to improvise at the moment. No hard feelings, right?"

Craigmirra blinked at first, when her pink aura suddenly faded away, and she smiled lightly. "None whatsoever." she said with a smile, before suddenly knocking Zugai on the head. "But at least WARN me of that first! I was really scared, you know!"

As the two ran to the harbor, Netok quickly got up, as she looked over at her captain. "Sheesh, he really tried to kill me just to get to her?" she said lazily, though she looked worriedly at captain. "Could it be that serum that the nerdy subordinate of his mentioned acting up?" Then, she ran to her captain's side, and tried to help him up.

Then, she could actually hear sobbing from underneath the helmet, and with a confused look on her face, she dragged the helmet off his head, to see that he was really crying. "Netok, I'm so sorry!" he bawled, as he slowly got up in a sitting position. "If Hibiware hadn't intervened, you'd be as good as dead! There's no excuse for what I did, but can you ever forgive me?"

Netok was taken aback at how humble Kishikiyoi was, asking for forgiveness when he probably wasn't in control of his actions. Then, she smiled lightly, as she helped him get on his feet. "Don't worry about it." she said lazily. "You just couldn't control yourself, 's all."

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Soon, the four groups had reunited, and quickly boarded Howling Moon, as the ship sailed away from Lougetown, with only a few marines standing on the harbor, trying to strike them, to no avail. After a few minutes of strenuous sailing, they soon noticed a lighthouse on the horizon. "Hey, guys, that lighthouse is leading the way to the Red Line, where we'll enter the Grand Line!" Jin said, as he pointed excitedly towards it.

"So, it's only this final push, and we'll be there, right?" Zugai asked, as he looked towards the lighthouse; the final checkpoint before the goal would be reached. Then, he heard someone slam a barrel on deck, and as he turned around, he saw that Nampu had brought it out. "What's that for, Nampu?"

"Why, don't you know?" Nampu said with a mocking undertone, before he slammed his foot on top of the barrel. "What are our goals on this crazed voyage, people?" he added, this line being more serious. "I'm gonna create a name for myself!"

The second person who slammed his foot on the barrel was KC, who looked pretty excited. "I'm gonna master Santoryu, and the Sword of Light!"

Then, almost immediately afterwards, Krystal placed her foot on the barrel. "I'm gonna collect all kinds of bows in the world!"

Seeing them plant their feet on the barrel, Zugai felt the need to do so himself, which he did. "I'm gonna find the crew that abandoned me!"

As he did so, Shin planted her foot on the barrel as well. "I'm gonna find All Blue!"

Right afterwards, Chris planted her foot on the barrel too. "I'll become a famed pirate!"

Just then, Jin planted his foot on the barrel as well. "I'll draw the most detailed map in the world!"

And finally, Craigmirra planted her foot on the barrel (though she needed to stand on a stool to reach up to it). "And I'm gonna find the fabled Pinkland!" she said with a huge grin, even though her dream was the most ridiculous of them all.

And there they stood, the Cross Skull Pirates, as they neared the legendary sea at long last. Then, they all raised their feet, and as Zugai yelled "TO THE GRAND LINE!", they slammed their feet down on the barrel, signifying their unity, and the beginning of their true adventure!

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**A/N: **Well, you wanted it, so you got it; the escape chapter! Now, if you hadn't wanted this one, you'd just see Chapter 27 earlier, wouldn't you? Well, until next time, remember to R&R!

**YolkaEd**


	27. Entering the Grand part 1

On the raging seas, a small vessel floated steadily amongst the waves. The one person inhabiting it didn't seem to neither notice nor care about the dangers around her; she was tired, disheartened and betrayed. All she did was hold her legs tightly against her body, as she softly sobbed to herself.

"_Someone like you doesn't deserve to serve me! You'll never find anyone who'll even consider letting you lick their boots!"_

The shrill voice tore through her memory, as she couldn't hold back her tears upon the very thought of it. "Someone…" she whispered, as the waves practically threw the small boat around. "Help me…"

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Entering the Grand part 1**

**A Woman of Despair!**

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"ACHOO!" Inside the kitchen of Howling Moon, most of the Cross Skull Pirates had gathered around the table (with the exception of Jin, who made sure that the storm didn't crush Moon into pieces) in order to discuss how they would enter the Grand line. However, Nampu had accidentally caught a cold, and was now covered in a blanket, with KC holding the flat, icy side of one of his falcatas against his head. "So, what did we gather from the map?" he muttered, as he sneezed a second time.

"Be careful, you could damage the map!" Chris said, as she pulled the map away from Nampu, as she looked at it; even though her navigational skills weren't that great in comparison to Jin, she was still able to read maps. "If Nami's map tells us anything, it's that we got to go through the mountain passage; going through the Calm Belt without a Marine vessel is just suicide."

"But how are we gonna make the ship climb a mountain, anyway?" Craigmirra asked, as she was hugging a doll very tightly, as some sort of protection in case the ship would capsize.

"It's not "climbing" the mountain, per se." Chris replied, as she put the map back on the table, as she pointed at Reverse Mountain on the map. "See, there's four streams that run to the center of Reverse Mountain; one for each of the Blues. When a ship that entered a stream reaches the center, they'll be taken on a fifth stream running downwards, which takes them to the lighthouse at the beginning of Reverse Mountain."

Shin nodded, as she pointed at the Calm Belt. "And the reason we can't sail through the Calm Belt is because we'll be eaten alive by Sea Kings, right?" she asked, as Chris nodded in response.

"And these are nothing like the Lord of the Coast; they can easily tower over the entire Red Line, if necessary!" Upon saying this, both Nampu and Craigmirra yelped in shock, which led to Chris laughing softly. "But still, the only way to really get through there is to board a Marine vessel, use some kind of Devil Fruit power, or just being pretty damn lucky."

Zugai nodded, as he looked at the map briefly, before walking towards the exit. "I'll call in Jin, if you guys don't mind." he said briefly, as he slowly reached for the door, when it suddenly slammed open, sending Zugai flying backwards. As the pirates looked at the open door, they saw a heavily-breathing Jin there. "Hey, Jin, what's wrong?" Zugai asked, as he got up. "You look like you've seen a skeleton."

"It's… it's something worse!" Jin called, as he began gesturing wildly, pointing out at the sea. "I just saw a small boat out there in the storm, and there's someone onboard it!" Just as he said this, he ran out into the storm, and baffled, the rest of the crew (except for Nampu) followed him.

As they got out, they saw the small boat being rocked back and forth by the waves, but the person onboard it didn't seem to be fighting against it all that much. "Hang on a minute, I'll see what it is!" Krystal said, as she squinted her eyes to get a better view of the person, and after a few seconds, she had discerned what the person looked like; it was a female, who was wearing a white and purple maid outfit, and her dark, blue hair was tied up in a pony-tail that reached down to her shoulders. However, what caught Krystal's eye was the fact that the woman's skin was her bluish skin, but the skin on her front torso and underarms was white. "It's a fishwoman!" she called, as she looked worriedly at her crew.

"Why's a fishwoman sitting in a dinghy in this kinda storm?" Shin asked, as she scratched her chin. "After all, both fishmen and mermen are known as excellent swimmers, so a storm shouldn't be any problem for them."

"Maybe…" Craigmirra shot in, as she looked at the fishwoman with a sad look in her eyes. "Maybe she's heartbroken, as it turned out that the man she thought loved her cheated on her with a giant, and so she decided to let the waves swallow her, as her sorrow already had?!" There was silence, as the pirates could only look at Craigmirra with a dumbfounded look due to her logic.

"Joking aside," KC said, breaking through the awkward silence, "we gotta help her out, right? So, Jin, can't you bring her back here on the waves, or something?" he added, as he looked at their navigator, who only shrugged.

"If I could control water like that, then I could just as easily have brought this ship to Raftel in an instant." Jin said, as he looked at the fishwoman out in the storm. "But I do have another idea. KC, freeze this!" Then, he shot a stream of water from his hand, heading straight for the dinghy out at sea, and just when it got in contact with it, KC stuck his ice blade into the water, creating a bridge of ice. "It may not be all that solid, but if someone's fast enough, they can bring her back over here!"

Everyone but Zugai nodded, as they looked around themselves to see who would go on the bridge and save the woman; however, no one really thought of crossing a very dangerous bridge of ice, even if it was to save someone's life. But then… "I'll go." Immediately, all heads turned to their captain, who had grabbed Honehakaisha off his back, before placing it on deck. "Just give me thirty seconds, and I'll have her on deck in no time."

"Wait, that's just stupid!" Chris spoke up, as she walked up to her captain, holding her hands at her hips. "You're a Hammer, so if you fall into the sea, then you're pretty much dead unless we jump in to save ya! I'll go instead."

Zugai merely shook his head, as he rubbed Chris' head, before proceeding to climb up on the ice bridge. "Well, I'm the captain here, so I say that you just get ready to catch her." he said with a smile, before he began running across the ice bridge.

"Holy crap!" KC exclaimed, as he saw the speed Zugai was moving in. "I'm surprised he doesn't slip off it! He might actually get her over without…" However, his enthusiasm died down, and was replaced with shock, as he saw a massive wave preparing to crash down into the small dinghy, which apparently Zugai hadn't noticed. "ZUGAI, HURRY UP!" he yelled in fear, as the wave only got closer.

Onboard the dinghy, the fishwoman had felt the ice bridge being created, and noticed that Zugai was now half-way across it. "You…" she muttered weakly, as she tried wiping away her tears, without realizing that in this storm, her tears would be pretty indiscernible.

Soon, Zugai had reached the dinghy, and quickly grabbed the fishwoman, hoisting her on his shoulder. "C'mon, this isn't the place to stay and chat." he said briefly, as he stepped on the ice bridge again, as he noticed KC yelling and waving at him. "Huh? What does he say? Something behind…" Now, even Zugai could hear the thundering roar of the wave behind him, as he slowly looked behind him to see the wave towering over him and the fishwoman. "Meep." Then, without looking back, Zugai began running for dear life away from the giant wave, but before he got half-way, the wave crashed down into the dinghy, shattering the ice bridge, and sending both Zugai and the fishwoman careening underwater.

"Zugai!" Chris yelled, as she quickly attempted to jump in after him, but she was quickly restrained by Jin. "Hey, let go, dammit! He's gonna get killed under there!" she yelled, as she struggled to get out of Jin's grip, but to no avail.

"I know that!" Jin snapped back, as he looked down at where Zugai had fallen into the water. "But with that wave just crashing into the water, you'll be torn apart by the water pressure! I'll try to use my powers to bring Zugai back up, but I can't promise anything…"

However, before anyone could make a move, a sudden splash made them notice that someone had leapt out of the water, and when it landed, they saw that it was the fishwoman, who was holding an unconscious Zugai over her shoulder. As she slowly put Zugai on deck, she smiled softly for a brief moment. "Thank… you…" And with that, she fell flat on her back, completely exhausted.

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"_Disrespect me, will you?" the voice of a old man said coldly, as she felt a pair of arms hold her back, unable to exact vengeance for the injustice dealt to her. "Then let's see just how well you'll cope alone in the most rotten dinghy we have here." Then, the old man smirked. "Someone like you doesn't deserve to serve me! You'll never find anyone who'll even consider letting you lick their boots!"_

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Suddenly, her eyes flared up, and she quickly sat upright, heaving for her breath. Once she calmed down from the nightmare, she looked at her surroundings to see that she was inside a room, with a few beds scattered about, herself being in one. What was strange was that the walls, the ceiling, the floor, even the beds… all of it was colored white, and felt like touching raw bone.

"Well, someone's finally awake!" she heard a voice say, as she looked over to the doorway to see a boy wearing a loose, brown jacket, with a black t-shirt underneath. His pants were baggy, and on his head resided a loose black hat. The boy grinned, as he began walking towards her, but she instinctively inched away from him, causing him to stop. "Er, what's wrong? Do ya need something, or…?"

She looked down on the bed sheets covering her body, before returning her gaze at the boy. "Where… where am I?" she stuttered, as she looked bashfully away from the boy.

As the boy opened his mouth to answer, both of them heard someone sneeze quite loudly, but whilst the boy only groaned in annoyance, she remained unaware of what was going on. "You just lie down for a bit." the boy told her, as he turned to leave the room. "I say, you really surprised me when you saved Zugai like that, even though he tried saving you in the first place…"

Upon hearing that, she looked up at the boy again, with her eyes widened a little. "He tried to… really? Why would anyone help… me?" she stuttered out again, as she once again looked away.

The boy looked back at her, as he groaned, before walking over to her, and planting his hand on her head. "Look, I think things'll be a whole lot clearer if you just take a rest for now, okay?" he said with a smile, as he began rubbing her hair jokingly. "We can talk business later, but even Nami would value sleep more than riches, right?" he added jokingly, before he turned and left the room.

She looked at the closed door, before once again looking down at the bed sheets. "A rest…" Nodding briefly, she placed her head on the pillow, and closed her eyes. Sleep would be lovely, after what she had been through…

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Just before Chris closed the door completely, he could see the fishwoman tuck herself in, and with a smile, she closed the door. Then, she heard yet another sneeze, and groaning, she turned to face her captain, who was standing next to the railing, scouting over the now-calm sea. As Zugai and the fishwoman had taken a while to recuperate, Jin had gotten Howling Moon anchored, so they could wait until the storm had calmed itself before attempting to brave Reverse Mountain. However, Zugai had also gotten a cold, but unlike Nampu, who simply knew better, Zugai flat-out refused to go to bed. "Hey, Zugai, she's getting better now, it seems." Chris called, as she walked next to her captain.

"That's nice…" Zugai muttered, as he wiped his nose with the sleeve of his hoodie. "Say, Chris, did we ever get to ask her for her name?" he added, as he fought the urge to sneeze, though he managed to hold it in.

"Well, I haven't asked her yet…" Chris replied, as she leant against the railing, looking at the ocean. "But since she's sleeping now, I don't think we should intrude on her privacy just yet; she seems to have gone through a lot…"

Zugai merely nodded, as he yawned a little. Then, he looked towards the girl's sleeping room, and walked towards it, but before he could open it, he heard Chris clear her throat. "Relax, I'm just gonna say hello, nothing else." he said, as he moved his hand closer to the door knob, when the door suddenly opened by itself, showing an up-and-going fishwoman at the door. "Eh! Erm… hi?" Zugai started, a little startled due to the girl having seemingly recovered so quickly.

"You're…" she stuttered, as she twiddled her thumbs in embarrassment. "You're the one… the one who… saved me?" she said, as she looked at Zugai with a hopeful look.

"Eh…" Zugai stepped back a little to give the girl more space, as he scratched his chin. "Well, technically, you're the one who saved me, but if you put it like that… yeah, I guess I did save you." he said, as he looked at the fishwoman, who seemed to grow more ecstatic by the second.

"Hey, hey, hang on a second." Chris shot in, as she walked up to the fishwoman, looking worriedly at her. "I don't think standing up is such a good idea at the moment, so I think you should go back to-" However, almost immediately, the fishwoman stepped forward, much closer to Zugai than before.

"Thank you! Thank you so much for saving me!" she said happily, as she held her hands cupped together against her chest. "I have no money, so I can't pay you for saving me, but… but I can work! I could do the dishes, scrub the deck, hoist the sails, anything you would ask of me!" she said, though the more she talked, the more desperate she began sounding like.

"Wait, wait…" Zugai said, as he pressed his fingers against his forehead. "You're proposing that you're to become our slave?" he added, with some disgusted emphasis on the word "slave".

"Eh?" the fishwoman replied, as her happy expression began fading slightly. "Is… is there something wrong with that?" she asked, as she began sounding more and more desperate by the minute. "Is it because I'm a fishwoman? Is it because I'm not pretty enough? Please, just let me stay here, and I'll do-"

"Sorry, but…" Zugai interrupted her, as he turned around, holding in another sneeze. "I'm not hiring slaves for my crew." Those six words seemed to strike the fishwoman pretty hard, as she could only look shocked as Zugai walked towards the boy's sleeping room, finally releasing a sneeze.

"Don't worry about it." Chris said, as she walked up behind the fishwoman, holding her right shoulder supportively. "He's got no interest in treating people like slaves, so you don't have to force yourself into doing anything you don't want to do." With that, she began walking towards the kitchen. "Just get back to bed, and I'll see if Shin's got that chicken soup ready for you three. Nampu's been awfully noisy since he got his cold…"

"Maria!" Hearing the sudden proclamation of a name prompted Chris to turn her head around to see the fishwoman point at herself, looking a little more relaxed now. "My… my name is… Maria." she said more timidly now, as she stopped pointing at herself.

Chris nodded a bit, before she smiled. "Right, Maria. You just make sure to stay healthy. And you can call me Chris." she said, before she headed for the kitchen. Nodding silently, Maria walked into her room again, closing the door behind her.

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**A/N: **Okay, just wanted to have this out sooner than later, so sorry for lack of interesting twists, if you felt so. Also, Maria is the lovely (though not in that way, you crazy shippers) creation of **Nezumimaru**, for the record. And don't worry; the Grand Line will be entered yet! Just don't forget to R&R, now, and I'll be seeing ya!

**YolkaEd**


	28. Entering the Grand part 2

"_Keep on working, my little maiden." the shrill voice of an old man said, as a woman obscured by darkness looked up to see a man sitting under a beacon of light; he wore fashionable, white robes adorned with medals, and on his head, a bubble of sorts was crowned. However, like the woman, his face was obscured from view. "I want this floor to be so clean, that my other servants can see through the floor into the basement." Reluctantly, the woman nodded, as she kneeled before him, before starting to scrub the floor with a ragged mop and filthy soap water, as she was denied anything more cost-worthy than that_

_.Just then, a broad-built man passed by her, walking up to the old man with a tray of hot tea. However, just as the old man grabbed the tea cup, he "accidentally" dropped the tea cup so that its contents spilled over the girl, drenching her in scolding hot tea. "Oh, my, how clumsy we are today." the old man said in a mocking tone, as the girl strived not to yell out in pain. "Go and make me a new cup, slave… and make sure to wear these." he added, as he threw a pair of rubber gloves at her. "I wouldn't want to have your… genes… spilled over my tea."_

_Hearing this, the woman suddenly arose, holding the gloves in one hand. Then, slowly grabbing them with her second hand, she furiously tore them apart, as she suddenly screamed out; a scream of pure, concentrated anger, hate and suffering. Then, as she leapt at the older man, the darkness around her evaporated to reveal Maria, looking quite like a demon, with her eyes glowing crimson red, her pupils no longer visible._

_Then, grabbing the older man, she furiously slammed him into the ground, and began furiously pounding her fists into his face, each blow accompanied by a brief, yet horrifying shriek. However, as time went on, the hateful shrieks slowly turned into sobs, as the punches began losing their effect, eventually becoming nothing but prods against the man, who seemed to be more annoyed than frightened. That was when she broke down, holding her hands before her eyes, without any incentive to stop the sobs escaping her lips._

"_Disrespect me, will you?" the old man said coldly, as she felt a pair of arms grab her, hoisting her away from the man, though she had lost the will to exact vengeance for the injustice dealt to her. "Then let's see just how well you'll cope alone in the most rotten dinghy we have here." Hearing this seemed to affect her, as she looked at the old man, who smirked. "Someone like you doesn't deserve to serve me! You'll never find anyone who'll even consider letting you lick their boots!"_

At that moment, Maria woke up, though not in the manner she had woken up in previously, but with a sense of calm within her. She had been saved, saved from the fiendish hell she had to cope with for god-knows how long, but still, she felt that something missed. As she sat up, she noticed something on the cupboard besides her; a bowl of hot chicken soup, with a small note beside it reading "Here's to the bold little fishchick! Shin~"

Somehow, though she didn't know how, the concept of someone calling her a "fishchick" seemed to be quite humorous, as she giggled softly to herself, before noticing a spoon by the bowl. Knowing how to use one, she slowly took the spoon, and dipped it into the bowl, before putting the contents of the filled spoon into her mouth, savoring the wonderful taste of the soup. Then, as she began digging into the bowl, she failed to notice that outside the room, a certain red-head was peeking in to see that everything was okay…

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Entering the Grand part 2**

**Of What Measure Is the Past?**

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Inside the kitchen, the Cross Skull Pirates were now enjoying a healthy breakfast, with Nampu having a blanket wrapped around his body (Zugai, naturally, refused). As they were eating, Chris entered the room, as she yawned a little, before sitting down next to Jin. "So, did she eat it?" Shin asked, as she stopped chewing on her toast for a minute.

Chris nodded lazily, as she glanced over at Zugai, who didn't seem the least bit tired, despite having been up as late as Chris had been. "I see that Mr. Foolhardy doesn't want a warm, cozy blanket?" she said tauntingly, as Zugai gave her a "Yeah, so?" look, before continuing with his breakfast, uttering a small sneeze after a while.

"So, we decided what to do with her, yet?" Jin asked, which made everyone look questioningly at him. "Well, I was just thinking that, you know, since she doesn't seem to belong anywhere, she could become part of our crew?"

As soon as he said that, a process of murmuring began, mostly in agreement with Jin. "It'd be cool to have a fishwoman as a crewmember, wouldn't you say?" Nampu could be heard adding, as the murmuring only continued.

"We can't just force her, though." Zugai suddenly said, stopping the murmurs, as the crew looked at their captain, who had risen from his chair. "She seems to have had a rough past, so we shouldn't force her into anything. I can ask her if she wants to join later, but for now, I…" Then, he took an artistic break, followed by a rather long-winded yawn. "I need to hit the hay for a bit." Then, he left the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

The rest of the breakfast was fairly uneventful, and afterwards, whilst Shin and Jin stayed behind to do the dishes, the rest of the crew left the kitchen to partake in different activities. Chris, on the other hand, instinctively went towards the girl's sleeping room, knocking on the door. "Hey, Maria, are you in there?" she asked, as she awaited a response.

"Y-yes, just a minute…" came the belated reply, as the door was quickly opened to reveal a slightly-flustered Maria, who seemed to have worked up quite a sweat. "Sorry, but I thought I could clean the room after finishing my meal, just so it wouldn't become too messy. Hope you don't mind." she said, as she entered the room, letting Chris see that the entire room was practically squeaky-clean.

"Wow…" Chris uttered, as she looked around her, closing the door as she entered, before sitting down in her own bed, glancing at Maria, who seemed to fidget nervously whilst standing up. "You know, you can sit down." she added with a humorous tone, as Maria quickly sat down in her own bed. "And you didn't really have to clean the room; it was clean enough from the get-go."

"S-sorry, but…" Maria began, as she scratched her chin whilst looking down at the floor. "It's a habit that I picked up at my last residence." she said bluntly, as she didn't feel like talking that much about it; however, a confused look from Chris somehow seemed to affect her. "W-would you mind if I told you of a dream I had?" she asked, as she felt that the dream was the only way she could break down her past to anyone.

Chris shrugged, before snickering a little. "Sure, but only if I get to show and tell you something first!" she said mischievously, as Maria seemed to get a little nervous due to it. Then, assured that nobody else was looking, she pulled her hat off her head, letting her hair fall down to her shoulders. However, Maria didn't seem to be all that phased by it. "Oh, c'mon, everyone else I told had at least some expression to this." she groaned, as she placed her head on top of her hands, mock-pouting.

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Maria uttered, as she observed Chris' figure. "So, you're a girl? Why do you dress up as a boy, then?" she asked, something which seemed to make Chris pout for real. "D-did I say something wrong?"

"Oh, no, you could say that…" Chris began, as she looked at the ceiling, whilst scratching her nose. "It's a habit I picked up from my former residence, as well. But enough reminiscing; I was gonna show you something else!" Then, she turned away from Maria, as she removed her jacket, before beginning to pull up her shirt, revealing a tight, white tank-top underneath it, which she also pulled up, though not so much so that she would expose her chest (even though she was facing away from Maria). Then, she heard a gasp escape the fishwoman's lips, and for good reason; from her right shoulder to her left, and diagonally down her back, all the way to her waist, a crude, long scar was clearly visible. "Well, sounds like I got your attention!" she said with a smile, as she pulled her shirts back into place, before reaching for her jacket again.

"Why…" Maria was now holding her hand over her mouth in shock, stunned to see such a horrible wound on Chris. "Why do you… have that… and who did it…"

Chris sighed, as she had put her jacket back on, before putting her hat back into place. "Well, it ain't a pretty story, that much I can tell ya…" she sighed, as she looked back into the ceiling. "See, it all happened some four years ago. My grandma had done some stuff I'd rather not get into detail about, and, well…"

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"_No fair!" a young girl said angrily, as she pointed accusingly at someone. "Why are you saying that I can't be part of your group, all of a sudden?!" she added, as it turned out that this was a younger Chrisanthia Hopkins, still named Chris for short. Her outfit was practically identical to her current one, though the jacket was more or less a little too wide._

"_Because you're a girl!" a boy replied, as he pointed back at Chris, with two other kids behind him. "And you should know that girl's can't be pirates, Chrisanthia!"_

_Hearing that, Chris started growling, as she had to stop herself from tackling the boy and pounding him senseless. "Look, I told you to call me Chris! Besides, "women can't be pirates"? Horseshit! What about Burglar Cat Nami, Iron Mace Alvida, Demon Child Nico Robin, hell, Pirate Empress Boa Hancock?! And haven't I done lots of things that even you guys wouldn't dare to do, huh?"_

_The boy scoffed, as he crossed his arms. "Whatever, Chris. The only way you're gonna redeem yourself in our eyes is if you steal something from another pirate crew!" As he said that, the two other boys began laughing, as the leader had obviously meant it as a joke._

_However, upon hearing this, Chris nodded resolutely. "Fine, I will! I heard that some pirates are over at dad's pub, so I'll go there right now!" And then, she ran away from the boys, who had stopped laughing the instant she had agreed to his terms. As she kept running, she looked around the town she lived in; Fuschia Island had gotten quite busy since the death of the Second Pirate King (being that this was his hometown, likewise with his brother, grandfather and potentially his father), and there had even been erected a statue of him in his prime in the town square, which just happened to be where Chris was headed, since her father worked in a pub not too far from it; he was supposedly watching the place for a woman called Makino, but she would often help him out during the rush hours._

_As she arrived at the square, the smell of alcohol quickly filled her nostrils, as she quickly found her way to the pub, where several pirates inside of it were sleeping, most likely due to a hangover. As the lights were out, she couldn't discern their faces, but that mattered not to her; what did matter was finding something valuable to steal. "They gotta have something, or they wouldn't be pirates…" she muttered, as she slowly walked into the pub, as to not awake the pirates._

_After a few quite unsettling minutes, Chris found herself next to a table with only one man leaning against the wall with his eyes closed sitting by it. However, what caught her eye was a dagger that curved along with the silver gilt. "Ah, this is perfect!" she whispered, as she moved her hand closer to the dagger, before quickly snatching it away. "Bingo." Then, she turned to leave, smiling contently to herself._

_Then, she felt something hit her right shoulder. Then, she felt her own flesh being torn, as she now felt surges of pain ripping through her body. "Hey, kid." Hearing the dark voice behind her prompted Chris to slowly turn her head around, only to see that the man, still leaning against the wall with closed eyes, had jammed a sword into her shoulder, and for once in her life, she felt genuine fear. "It's not nice to steal, you know." he mumbled, as he suddenly opened his eyes, and glared at Chris without moving his head._

_Then, he slowly moved his blade, still lodged into Chris' body, towards her left shoulder, though she struggled not to cry out in either fear or pain, as that would definitely wake up the pirates. "Just drop the dagger, and we'll forget this ever happened." the man's voice called again, but Chris refused to comply, whether it be due to sheer force of will, or the pain surging through her. Then, she felt it move to the right again, but instead of going back to the right shoulder, it stopped just below her neck. Now, she was breathing heavily, as she could hear her own blood drip from her back onto the floor. "I'm not giving you any more chances, kid, so drop the damn dagger." As she still refused to let go of her loot, she felt the man move the blade slowly down her back._

_Then, whilst midway down her back, he suddenly cut downwards at a high speed, nearly splitting Chris' back open. Due to the sudden shock and injury to her back, she fell down to her knees, gritting her teeth so that her gums actually started bleeding as a result of it. "You've got guts, kid." the man said once more, as he slowly got up from his sitting position, looking down at Chris, who would look up to see the man; his face forever a image burnt into her sub-consciousness. "What's your name?"_

_Chris growled, as she noticed the man lift the bloodied blade over his head. "Ch… Chris Hopkins." she stuttered, as her eyes followed the blade._

"_Chris, eh?" the man said, as his lips curled into a smirk. "I promise to make sure to tell my captain all about you… when you've died." Then, he swung the blade downwards, but his nothing but wood, as Chris had taken the opportunity to high-tail it out of the pub, though the commotion had woken the rest of the pirates up._

_As Chris hid in an alley, the man watched the trace of blood she had left behind, and scoffed. "Hmph. I think I have to break a promise then… Young Hopkins." he muttered, as he returned to his table._

_Meanwhile, Chris was leaning against a wall in an alley, breathing heavily, as she noticed a pool of blood building up below her. "Tsch… I got careless…" she muttered, as she moved her eyes towards her right hand, where the dagger was still held firmly. "But… I did it." Then, she heard the boys call out for her, but only for a brief moment, as she then fell face-first into the pool of blood, the dagger clutched in her hand like brass knuckles, and the wound on her back as a constant reminder of this victory._

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"I spent four days in a hospital to recover from that guy's wounds. Despite all that had happened, the boys still let me join their make-believe crew, probably out of awe or pity." Chris finished, as she glanced at Maria, who seemed completely awestruck. "Well, someone seems to have enjoyed Chris' Weekly Retellings!" she said enthusiastically, as she quickly jumped out of the bed, before heading out the door. "Oh, you should probably go out and greet the others; they're out goofing off on deck, I'd figure." she added, before she closed the door behind her.

Maria sat a little while on the bed; thinking about what Chris had been through, even briefly comparing it to her own story. "Has everyone onboard gone through something like that? I should probably… but that'd be so rude…" After some thinking, she nodded, as she stood up. "I'm not gonna get anywhere unless I get out of this room, and socialize." she said to herself, which seemed to lift up her spirits, as she left the room, closing the door behind her as well.

At once when she stepped out on deck, she noticed Jin sitting by the mast, lying on his back, letting the rays of the sun shine on him. "S-sunbathing?" she said to herself, as she approached Jin slowly, as to not disturb him (ironic in the sense that she was going to disturb him anyway). "Um… want any company?" she asked quietly, afraid that Jin wouldn't hear her.

"Yeah, sure, sit down, if you'd like." Jin replied lazily, as he didn't bother opening his eyes. Nodding, Maria slowly sat down next to him. "Your name was Maria, wasn't it?" he asked, as he yawned briefly.

Maria nodded briefly, assuming that Chris had told Jin her name. "Y-yes, that's right." she replied, as she looked up into the sky. "Say… what did you use to do before joining this crew?" she asked, something which made Jin open his eyes.

"Well, stuff that I can't say I'm too proud of, really." he replied, as he got in a sitting position. "I was working with some underground organization, in order to get a hold of the map to the Grand Line. Long story short; my partners were cool, my boss was a douche, Zugai recruited me, and now my former boss's been killed by some SS." he continued, as he was actually counting the points on his finger. "As for stuff before that… well, there's that story about how I got my powers, but it's kinda depressing, so…"

Maria shook her head. "It's alright; if you want to talk about it, then… I'm not going to stop you." Hearing this, Jin nodded with a smile, as he began narrating…

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_The __heat was positively unbearable for the little boy, as he witnessed the entirety of his village in flames. "No… how did this… MOTHER! FATHER!" he yelled, as we find out that this is a younger Jin, who seemed to look nearly identical to his older self, with the exception of his height and that his hair wasn't spiked up. Gritting his teeth, he ran into the village._

_Smoke billowed out of many huts, and most of them were in ruins, but Jin was only focused on one thing; find his family, and get them to safety. Noticing his house, he ran towards it, but a falling tower blocked his path to the house. "No, no, no!" he yelled, as he ran around the tower, when he suddenly noticed a lone fruit lying on the ground; shaped like a cherry, with swirls covering it. "The… Mizu Mizu no Mi?" In desperation, he ran towards it, and picked it up._

"_The fruit that's said to be at both peace and conflict with the sea… maybe I can use it!" Quickly, he dug his teeth into it, as the horrid taste suddenly welled over his taste buds, but he ignored it, and kept on eating. "Forgive me, Father, but I have to do this!" he murmured in between bites, as he had soon consumed all of it. Then, he felt a chill go down his spine, as he clenched his fists, and began to focus._

_Then, all of a sudden, he exploded into a mass of water, which was flung all over the village, putting out some fires. As that happened, the puddles created by this also exploded, as more and more water explosions covered the village in water, effectively stopping the fire. However, even with the fire eliminated, the huts were in terrible shape, some of them even burnt down to the ground. Then, some of the water reformed into Jin, as he then hurried towards his family's hut._

_As he entered it, however, all he found were charred corpses lying around on the floor, some even ripped in half. "No… this can't be true…" he muttered, as he strived not to let the tears stream down from his face. "But… my mother… my father… they can't be here, too, can they?" he sobbed slightly, as he suddenly noticed one of the charred corpses wearing something around its neck. Upon closer inspection, it was the Chieftain's Medallion, signifying that it was, indeed his father. Then, he dropped to his knees, and screamed so loudly that no man could have missed hearing him._

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"It all happened whilst I was lost in the woods, so from then on, I promised myself not to let anyone ever again get lost. I swore it upon this." he said, as he pulled a medallion out of his jacket; the very same his father had worn. Then, he put it back where it belonged.

"I… I didn't know…" Maria muttered, as she looked down into the floor, both Jin's and Chris' pasts affecting her. "But… how can you move on, after such a traumatic event had happened to you?" she asked, as she looked at Jin with a confused and saddened look. "No man could ever have walked from that kind of scene with his sanity intact, right? So how did you move on?"

Jin shrugged, as he fell on his back, looking up at the sky. "Beats me. But from what I've been told by the others, they've gone through some tough crap as well; KC's parents abandoned him when he was five, Zugai lost his left hand to a group of pirates, Shin's father exiled her from her own family, and Craigmirra… she doesn't even want to talk about her past." Then, he stood up, as he looked down at Maria, who could only gape at him. "But, I guess we all just learned to accept it… since no one can change the past." Then, he walked away, yawning lightly, as Maria watched him leave.

Then, her attention was brought somewhere else when she heard a sneeze from behind her. Looking back, she noticed Zugai leaning against the railing, looking at the horizon. "Maybe… if everyone has confined their pasts to the crew, then…" With that, she stood up, and walked towards Zugai, not saying anything, but leaning against the railing as well. "Um, excuse me…" No reply came from Zugai, other than a questioning grunt. "Um, well, I wanted to… I need to…"

"If you got something to say, say it." Zugai said bluntly, which Maria nodded nervously to. Then, she began explaining her past; she had been a slave for a Tenryuubito for many years, as had her mother been, possibly even longer than Luffy had been Pirate King. She told him of the horrors she had to face, about how she was branded with the Tenryuubito Hoof over her bellybutton, possibly even when she had been born, and how she had finally snapped, violently smashing her "master's" face into the ground, before being exiled onto a small dinghy.

"I lived under such horrible conditions for so many years…" she said softly, as she held in her tears as best she could. "…but with what I've gone through, I just… I don't… I can't live by myself!" she yelled, as Zugai looked almost apathetically at her. "So… that's why, I… I offered to work under you. Maybe I shouldn't have done so, but… I-" Before she could finish her sentence, Zugai held a finger in front of her mouth.

"I told you that I'm not hiring slaves on my crew." he replied with a smile, as Maria slowly began backing away, thinking that she would be rejected. "But…" Then, he suddenly grabbed her hand, before shaking it. "If you're interested, we're still hiring crewmembers, if that's any consolation!"

Hearing this seemed to revive something inside of Maria, as she blinked a few times at first, before suddenly letting her tears run down her face, for so to quickly hug Zugai. "Thank you, thank you so much! I'd love to become a crewmember on this ship!" she said repeatedly, as she was still sobbing, though not out of sadness, but out of happiness.

Zugai smiled as Maria continued crying, and patted her back. "That's great. Welcome aboard the Howling Moon, Maria. But you'd best be prepared; we're headed for the Grand Line now!"

Finally letting go of Zugai, Maria nodded approvingly, as she wiped her tears from her face. "I will, Captain. From now on, I… I'll do what I can to help!" she said with a smile, though in her head, she had thought out an alternate ending to her sentence. "_From now on, I'll not let my past decide my future!_"

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**Zugai Hibiware – **Captain/Shipwright/Blacksmith

**Nampu Kiyasui – **First Mate

**KC Boom – **Swordsman

**Krystal Gem – **Sniper

**Jinketsu Namura – **Navigator

**Shin Mikage – **Cook/Hunter

**Little Lady Craigmirra – **Obligatory Cute Mascot

**Chrisanthia Hopkins – **Thief/Spy

**Maria – **Assistant

**A/N: **Al-righto, we got Maria onboard! Next chapter is the Grand! I just hope I did a good job on this chapter; I tried to make it more sentimental, or something along those lines, and I feel that writing sentimental stuff, as well as romance stuff, just comes off as being kind of awkward for me to write, which is why it's been so damn hard to get a sensible romantic relationship between KC and Krystal, so I'm sorry if you guys are clamoring for that pairing, but I'll try to make it up some time in the future. Until next time, though, remember to read and review!

**YolkaEd**


	29. Entering the Grand part 3

Lougetown had settled down fairly quickly after the Cross Skull Pirates had left it; Kei, Ryder and Illith had offered to aid the local repairmen in fixing the damage Zugai had accidentally caused in his fight against Leon, Sam and Danny, who had all been put on a ship prepared to sail them to Marine HQ (though Danny had been released when it was revealed that he was a bounty hunter; he received 14 million Beri for "helping" to catch Sam). Kemono, Shageki and Osae had left town shortly after the incident, as they had found no job they were remotely interested in at Lougetown, whilst Supin had snuck out of town before anyone could trace him, for unknown reasons.

Right now, by the harbor, Netok was sitting on one of the building roofs, watching the ship that would ferry Leon and Sam away. Though content with that victory, she felt that she still hadn't gotten her dues when it came to the Cross Skulls, as she had coached Nampu into becoming a better fighter, as well as allowing herself to be defeated by Craigmirra. However, as much as she willed it, she knew that Kishikiyoi would not allow them to go pirate hunting, as that would only endanger Lougetown further. "Oh, if only something could happen that changed the status quo… then I could probably smash that little runt's face in!" she muttered angrily, as she was grinding her fists against each other, though with a dull look on her face.

However, as soon as she said that, she felt a massive surge of heat knock her over, as a tremendous explosion suddenly cracked the marine vessel in half. "What the f- cannon fire?!" Netok yelled, as she quickly got up to notice the damage done, and as she looked closer, she could see Sam running out from underneath the hull, holding Leon over his shoulder, as he began jumping in mid-air, away from the island. "H-hey, where do you think you're-" Before she could continue yelling hopelessly at the fugitives, she suddenly felt a hand grab her face, as she was hoisted into the air, before being slammed into the roof, knocking the air out of her. Then, the assailant moved his hand down to her throat, as he pointed his left hand at her, a blade sticking out of the assailant's sleeve only inches away from piercing her face.

"I'm gonna give you five seconds to tell me…" the assailant spoke, as Netok suddenly noticed the man's face; his hair was a black Mohawk, and on his left cheek, an x-shaped scar was adorned. "Where can I find the Cross Skull Pirates?" he added, as he slowly raised his left arm in order to pierce Netok's skull if she didn't talk. As much as she struggled, however, the assailant's iron grip proved too strong for even her to break through.

However, just as the assailant was about to jab his arm downwards, a gauntlet gripped the man's arm, before flipping the assailant so that he slammed into the roof on his own back. As it turned out, Marine Captain Kishikiyoi had intervened before his fellow marine had been murdered. "Now, now, we're not possibly looking for trouble with the Marines, are we, Manigordo?"

Netok quickly got up, as she gasped for air, looking down at Manigordo with a terrified look. "So… that's the bounty hunter everyone's talking about?" she asked lazily, though even she felt her legs move on reflex away from the man.

"Hmph. I prefer the name Morte del Astuto when I'm not facing pirates." he replied, as he got back up on his feet, brushing dust off his clothes. "Now, I believe I asked you a question: Where are the Cross Skull Pirates? My sources led me here, but I and my associates have found none of them."

Kishikiyoi scoffed, as his eyes narrowed behind the visor of his helmet. "I believe you have questions to answer yourself, Manigordo." he said clearly, as he pointed at Morte with his right hand. "You're responsible for destroying the prison ship, aren't you? Such tactics are more often than not associated with your foul tricks."

"So what if I am?" Morte replied, as he walked towards the edge of the building, looking at the shipwreck burning in the harbor. "Such tactics are some times necessary if you seek perfect results." Then, he turned his head so he could face Kishikiyoi. "From your refusal to answer me, I can only assume that they have left, possibly for the Grand Line." Then, he scoffed, as he hunched his back, looking back at the ship. "I guess we can't all be like Vice-Admiral Smoker, can we?" he added mockingly.

"Hey, get off my captain's face!" Netok yelled, as she stepped forward. "He's done more for the sake of justice than you low-life bounty hunters have ever done, so don't even think about comparing him to others!" However, once she said this, she was met with a deadly gaze from Morte, which intimidated her back behind Kishikiyoi. Then, Morte started laughing.

"Low-lives? That's an interesting way of seeing it, I guess." he replied, as his body began slowly changing form. "But justice or not, I can catch the Cross Skull Pirates quicker than you can, at the very least." Then, he quickly jumped off the edge of it, but when Netok ran to see where he had gone off to, she was too late; he had vanished.

"Hrm, to think that he's going after the Orthopedic…" Kishikiyoi muttered in a grave tone, as he turned away from Netok. "Get your men ready, Ensign. We're sailing to the Grand Line." he said quickly, something Netok took with great shock. "It'd be better to let them rot in a cage than let him have his way with them…" Then, he began walking away from the scene. "Oh, yes, and Ensign, don't spend too much time on these roofs; someone might end up getting-" Just before he finished his sentence, the roof directly underneath him gave in to the weight of his armor, sending him careening into the rooms below.

"…hurt?" Netok finished, as she looked down the hole, before quickly getting back on track; they had to capture the Cross Skulls before Morte did. "Well, that's karma for ya." she said lazily, as she grinned cockily before racing to get off the roof.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Entering the Grand part 3**

**A Familiar and a New Face**

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It didn't take long before Maria had been completely accepted as a crew member onboard Howling Moon, mainly because most of the crewmembers already had guessed that she would join eventually (though Shin and KC incorrectly assumed that Zugai had persuaded Maria in some convoluted manner, something both of them denied). Nonetheless, most of the day was spent on Maria getting to know the others better than just listening to pasts best forgotten, such as playing various games with Craigmirra, assisting Shin with cooking dinner, and listening to over-the-top reenactments of previous events of the Cross Skull Pirates career, such as how Shin's trap almost literally blew Henko to pieces, or how Craigmirra had single-handedly taken care of Ignacio.

But soon enough, the time had come; the time to depart from the safety of East Blue, the time to cross into the legendary sea. Now, Howling Moon was holding a steady course towards Reverse Mountain, the gateway to the Grand Line. At the front of the ship, all nine crewmembers looked towards the mountain, each of them sporting some manner of smile.

"The Grand Line…" Maria said with a subtle sense of glee in her voice, as she looked excitedly forward. "I've only been there briefly, but it's supposed to be amazing!" she exclaimed with a squee.

"Well, once you look past the fact that it's a pirate graveyard, so yeah, it's pretty amazing." Chris said in a slightly cynical tone, before instantly smiling widely, as she patted Maria on the back. "Relax, Maria, we're definitely going to be safe!" she said optimistically, as she broke into laughter.

"This is just gonna be AWESOME!" Craigmirra exclaimed, as she was standing as close to the prow of the ship as she could without actually sitting on it. "We're gonna rule that sea, and I'll be queen of the world!" she exclaimed, as she stretched her arms out, as if to embrace the sea before her.

"Well, I don't think we should get too excited about ruling anything just yet…" Shin shot in with a giggle, as she scratched the back of her head. "Remember, though they may not be what they were anymore, rumors go that the former Shichibukai are still roaming the seas, and that seven new Shichibukai have been chosen by the government."

"Before we worry about that, we gotta make sure that Moon gets into the Grand Line properly." Jin said with a calm tone, as he was controlling the water just ahead of the ship in order to weave their way past any rocks and capes in their way, to make sure that Howling Moon wouldn't capsize from any accidents. "Don't forget that the entrance is basically an up-going waterslide, and if we're off by even the least fraction of a centimeter, we're going to be smashed." To add emphasis to his lecture, he butted his fists against each other upon saying "smashed".

"No need to be so melodramatic, though." Krystal added in, as she noted both Craigmirra and Maria stiffening upon hearing about the possibility of not making it into the Grand Line alive. "We've come this far, haven't we? It's one last push, and we're one step closer to our goal!"

KC nodded approvingly, as his hand rested on the sheath of Zanmato. "One last push, eh? We'll make it, without a shred of doubt." he said. Then, after a few calm minutes of sailing, the crew heard the sound of water running. "Could it be…?" KC asked, as he suddenly nearly broke into a huge smile.

As Moon got closer to the sound, Nampu quickly placed his hands on his captain's shoulders. "Zugai, if I'm dreaming, then don't wake me up!" he said excitedly, as the fog before them began clearing away.

"Well, keep your eyes open, Nampu." Zugai replied with a smirk, as he saw just what was ahead. "If not, then I'm pretty sure that we're dreaming the same dream." And lo, not too far ahead of them, was Reverse Mountain, the entrance to the Grand Line. The stream that shot up towards the center of the mountain was visible not too far from them, though it wasn't directly ahead of them.

"Alright, everyone, hang on!" Jin called, as he walked closer to the prow, as he held his hands out. "If we're gonna get there unscathed, I'll need full focus, so you guys go fix the sails, and keep an eye on the rudder!" As he said this, the crew quickly dispersed, as Zugai and KC raced to get to the rudder, whilst the rest of the crew began hoisting the sails. Then, they could feel the ship rock, as Jin carefully maneuvered the ship through the waters, as a storm suddenly broke loose, though not as ferocious as the one they had experienced when they first met Maria.

As Jin directed the ship, however, the water steering the ship kept on pushing the rest of the water away, building up into waves that kept increasing in size as the storm continued around them. Luckily, the waves stood little to no chance against KC's beams of ice shot from his blades. "Waves aren't so scary when they don't move." he said jokingly, as he heard a brief chuckle from Zugai, mostly because that line was so corny.

Then, they felt the ship suddenly move faster, as the currents caught the ship, and began dragging it towards the wall. "Alright, this is it!" Jin called, as he slowly veered to the right, dragging the ship further towards the stream. Just then, however, a wave had amassed itself just ahead of them, and was poised to strike them down. "Oh, sh- KC, we're gonna have to cool this thing down!" he yelled, as he clenched his fists, looking at the wave directly.

"I swear, if you make a trend of spouting puns like that, I'll be sure to turn you into a popsicle!" KC answered, as he looked up at the wave. "But even if I freeze it, we're still bound to crash into it…" he muttered, though Nampu, Maria and Craigmirra seemed to hear this, as they instantly began panicking.

"Relax, just take the shot!" Krystal said in response, as she drew an arrow, along with Artemis. "I doubt ice will be too tough to blow into smithereens." she added with a smile, as she placed the arrow on the bow string, pulling it backwards as she waited for KC to freeze the wave.

"Well, let's find out! Hyo Mu Pondo Ho!" KC yelled, as he fired a beam of ice at the wave, freezing it instantly, before Krystal quickly let go of the arrow in her hand, and just when it got in contact with the ice, the entire ice wave shattered from the explosion, just as Howling Moon sailed right through what remained of it.

"Good going, guys!" Zugai called, as he held his hands firmly around the rudder, as the boat suddenly curved upwards, before going up the stream. "We did it… We're inside!"

And just as he said that, the boat picked up even more speed, as it sped over the water, with every crewmember hanging on for dear life, though not out of fear, but rather excitement. Then, the ship broke straight out of the fog, and as they could see the blue sky, they felt themselves afloat, as they had reached the top. Everyone could only gaze in awe at the sight, as the water splashing out on the top nearly instantly crystallized into ice, which then broke apart before even moving away. However, they soon felt that the ship dropped down, as Howling Moon landed into the water again, sailing downward at a greater speed than the up-turn.

"This is it!" Chris called excitedly, as she looked ahead, as they passed through a field of mist. "We're almost through now, guys!" And just as she said that, a massive splash brought the ship to a halt, as they had reached the bottom of the stream, now floating gently away from it.

"We're… we're here." Shin whispered, as she looked around, only to see a cliff-side not too far from them to their left, with a rope-ladder leading up to the top, where a light-house was visible. Then, she heard the sound of metal clashing. "Huh? A duel?"

Soon, everybody heard the sound as well, and all signs pointed towards it happening upon the cliff-side. "Do ya think that there are other pirates there as well?" KC asked, as he looked over the railing.

"Dunno." Nampu shrugged, as he leaned against the railing as well. "We could go and check it out, but that'd be kinda like walking into a trap…"

"Um, I…" The sound of Maria's voice prompted everyone to look over at her, who was twiddling her index fingers. "I could, maybe… take someone with me, and, well… scout out any dangers?" Quickly, she looked down into the deck, obviously embarrassed to have come up with something like that.

However, it was quickly decided that she had a good point, and so, two of the crewmates would go with Maria to scout ahead, whilst the rest of the crew would sail after them, just in case of the worst. Eventually, it was decided that Zugai and Chris would accompany Maria, both of them being carried on her shoulders (though that meant that Zugai would have to leave Honehakaisha on deck, as he was heavy enough to carry in water). When the three got to the shore, they took a short break, as they heard the sounds up above intensifying. "Let's hurry up." Zugai said, as he climbed up the ladder, before Chris and Maria followed him.

When they got up, they were almost immediately blinded by the sun, as they quickly noticed two figures in battle right in front of the light-house, though they couldn't see their faces due to the sun. One of them was very tall and thin-looking, and sported an afro on his head, along with a top hat, and he was holding a sword in his hands, though the handle looked like a cane. The other figure was considerably shorter than the first man, and a thick cloak seemed to cover most of his body. His hair was tied in a long pony-tail, and he held a scythe in his hands. "Wait a minute…" Chris muttered once she saw the figures. "Don't I recognize that guy…?"

Soon, the cloaked man swung his scythe at the taller man, but this was repelled by the taller man jumping high above the incoming scythe, before suddenly shooting down at the man, in an attempt to stab him from up above, but the cloaked man avoided the attack in time. Then, the cloaked man tried rushing the taller man head-on, but somehow, he missed with his attack, as his foe walked casually past him, holding a stick in his left hand and the sword in his right. Then, he began slowly inserting the sword into the stick.

"Hanauta Sanchou… Yahazu Giri!" Suddenly, the cloaked man acted as though he had been slashed across the chest, before he suddenly exploded, spreading bits and chunks of him everywhere, forcing Maria to look away in disgust. The tall man, however, didn't seem to mind, as he instead set the sheathed sword down on the ground, to reveal that it was now a cane. "Yohohoho… the next time you attempt to take my friend away, I'd suggest coming by yourself." he muttered silently to himself, as the sun slowly floated over the mountain, which finally revealed his true form to the trio present; he was completely skeletal, and the fancy suit he wore had seen better days, what with different rips and cuts visible on it. This was none other than the musician of the Straw Hat Crew; "Humming" Brook.

Upon seeing him, the three pirates coiled in shock. "B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-BROOK?!?!" Chris suddenly yelled in a very excited tone, which seemed to catch the skeleton's attention. "I can't believe it; that's actually THE Brook! One of the Second Pirate King's crewmembers! Ohmigosh, this is so AWESOME!"

As soon as Chris had finished freaking out over seeing one of Luffy's crewmembers, KC and Krystal got up alongside them, only to coil in shock as well when they saw Brook. "H-hey, is that a skeleton?!" KC yelled in slight shock as he pointed at Brook with fear. "Zugai, what did you do to him?" he asked nervously, as Craigmirra, Shin and Jin also arrived on the cliff.

"My, oh my, so many guests, and I haven't even made any tea!" they heard Brook say, as the Cross Skull Pirates looked over at the skeleton, who was now spinning in a circle for some reason. "Though I don't have to worry about lack of company these days, there's never anyone who thinks to come and visit the lighthouse! That just puckers my lips… though I don't have any lips, as I'm all bones! Yohohohohohoho!" he laughed, as he suddenly stopped spinning. "Skull Joke~!"

The Cross Skull Pirates blinked for a brief moment, as they suddenly heard a great roar behind them. "What the- who's making all that noise?!" Craigmirra yelled whiningly, as the crew slowly looked behind them, only to see a gigantic whale looming behind them, though they noticed that a crudely-painted version of the Straw Hat flag adorned its head. "AND WHAT'S WITH THE WHALE?!?!" she yelled even more whiny, as she actually fainted at the sight of the whale.

"Ah, that's just my good friend, Laboon." Brook said light-heartedly, as he walked up to the pirates. "Thirteen years are a lot of time for whales to grow up on. I bet he could even take down a Sea King in the Calm Belt at this point, yoho!" Then, he stopped right in front of Zugai, as he bent his back 90 degrees to look Zugai squarely in the eye. "Hrm… So, may I see your panties, ladies?" he asked quite politely, which instantly shocked Krystal, Shin, Craigmirra (who probably woke up due to the question), Chris, Maria and KC, and subsequently, all five of them each delivered a devastating punch at the skeleton, sending him flying into the lighthouse in a comical sense.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" the five of them yelled, as their faces were red-hot with anger, whilst Maria slowly backed away from them, fidgeting slightly, her skin having turned slightly purple on her cheeks, probably as she was blushing.

"My, oh my, so harsh!" Brook laughed, as he fell flatly down on the ground, five huge bumps visible on his head. "Those blows really sent a tingle through my muscles, even though I'm just bones!" he added laughingly, as the crewmembers who weren't steaming could only blink in confusion.

"So… that's supposed to be "Humming" Brook?" Nampu whispered, as he scratched his forehead, whilst the skeleton got back up on his feet. "I'd expect him to be more… serious."

"Well, we can't complain about that, I guess." Jin whispered back, as he dug in the pocket of his jacket, fishing out a small compass. "Now, let's see where to go from here…" However, just when he opened it up, he gaped in shock. "Eh, guys? I think we have a defective compass…"

Just as he said that, the entire crew looked at the compass, each and everyone of them (except for Maria) could only gape in shock at what they saw; the needle of the compass didn't bother pointing north, as it instead pointed in every single other direction, without Jin manipulating the needle at all. "What's wrong with it?" Zugai questioned, as he looked at the compass with worry. "If our compass is broken, then…"

"Yohohohoho, no need to worry, you guys!" Brook called again, as he walked very clumsily towards the pirates, probably due to being slammed into a wall by five people. "The compass isn't exactly broken; it's just reacting to the strong magnetic fields here on the Grand Line…" A moment of silence floated by. "…or at least, that's what Miss Nami would say… I think." Cue the obligatory fall-down gag, courtesy of the Cross Skull Pirates.

"But still, without a compass, how are we going to traverse the Grand Line at all?" Zugai moaned, as he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. "And just when we really were ready, it turns out we weren't…"

"Ah, but I think I have something here you might use…" Brook spoke up, as he grabbed the top of his skull, before flipping it open, as he searched the inside of his skull after something.

"EEEEEEEEEHHH?!?!?! THE SKELETON JUST OPENED HIS HEEEEAAAAD!!!" Craigmirra yelled in sheer terror, as she quickly fainted yet again, this time actually foaming at the mouth. "Skeleton scary, skeletonscary, skelescary…" she chanted to herself repeatedly.

"Ah, here it is!" Brook announced, as he pulled out a small sphere-like object from his skull, before slamming it shut. "This here is a Log Pose." he said, as he handed it to Zugai. "If you need to find an island here on the Grand Line, you have to follow the Log."

Zugai looked from the skeleton to the Log Pose in his hand, before looking back at the skeleton again. "But… I… don't you need this for yourself?" he asked, as Brook only began laughing.

"Yohohohohoho! I'm no good at navigating, really; my eye is more for music and fencing!" The crew looked at Brook, as they knew he had something more to add. "Though I don't have eyes! Yohohohohohoho, Skull Joke~!" he laughed, as the Cross Skull Pirates actually joined in on the laughter, likewise did Laboon.

"Hoo… Thanks a whole lot, Brook!" Zugai said, as he handed Jin the Log. "But, I gotta ask… did the Straw Hats disband after Luffy's death, or something?" he asked, as Brook looked to the sky upon hearing it.

"Ah, well, not really. Though our captain is gone, we'll still never swear our allegiance to anyone but him, ourselves and our crew." Brook replied, as he turned away from the pirates. "I can't count the number of times Zoro has been asked to become a Shichibukai after he defeated Hawkeyes for the first time or how many who have sought out Robin to find out the true history of the world… It's all been very hectic for us after Luffy found One Piece, so when he died, we merely split up temporarily, so that we won't be collectively picked off by those seeking us out."

Zugai blinked a few times before nodding. "I understand. Well, thanks for the Log again, Brook!" he said, as he turned to his crew. "Alright, Cross Skull Pirates, let's set sail for our next adventure!" he yelled excitedly, as his crew yelled with him, before they went down to Howling Moon again, though Chris stayed behind once she saw that the supposed remains of Brook's foe wasn't red, but more silver-ish.

"Hey, Brook?" she asked, as she went a little closer to the skeleton. "That man you were fighting… who was he?" Brook didn't answer immediately, but cleared his throat after a little while.

"He's said to be somewhat of a psychopath, ruthless and reckless, known on all the Grand Line…" he began, as he looked to the sky again. Chris blinked a few times, as she patiently awaited a response. "To be continued." he suddenly added, something which annoyed Chris greatly. "Ah, but I haven't really heard that much of him; he's very reclusive, and only occasionally sends some cloning of himself to fight for Laboon. Think he was called Steel Scythe, or something…"

Chris nodded, as she remembered her encounter with Etels back on Ajito, who had looked just like the man Brook had been fighting earlier. "Well, thanks for the help anyway!" she called, as she turned around, and followed her crewmates onto their ships.

Then, Brook turned his head around to eye Laboon, who was eying him curiously. "Well, I can assume that they will get far on their journey." Brook said to himself, as he looked at six wanted posters in his hands, all whilst chuckling to himself. "I wonder what you think, Luffy."

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**A/N: **Righto, righto, I know, **SeeNoEvil123** implemented Brook in her story as well, but I just felt that him being there with Laboon seems like something he'd do. So, anyhooter, now I'm sitting on a fork again; either I shoot ahead an arc involving Morte and his team, or something else… what that would be, though, I have no idea, so you guys can send me suggestions for what to do, if not go straight at Morte. Well, 'til next time, remember to read and review!

**YolkaEd**


	30. A Shocking Encounter!

On an island on the Grand Line called Atsumari Island, the only thing you could call civilization there was a remote village hidden in the woods at the base of a mountain. There, some people often gathered to hold council of what their next course of action should be, such as pirates discussing how to share their loot, bounty hunters forging alliances to take down mighty pirates, or marine officers feeling the need to talk in private without the constant sting of their superior's gaze crossing their shoulders. There was a genuine reason that this island's nickname was "Island of Gatherings".

Right now, a woman obscured by darkness was sitting in a tree, scouting out over the horizon with a telescope, when she suddenly halted, noticing a ship off in the distance, heading towards the island at a slow pace. Suddenly, she grinned in a manner that could be identified as psychotic, before quickly jumping out of the tree, towards the village. "There's a ship! There's a ship! We're spotting a ship ahead!" she called enthusiastically, as she stopped right outside a watchtower. "Hey, Blanka, there's a ship coming towards the island! I'll race you to it!" she yelled happily, before she quickly changed direction, running towards the shore.

The person in the watchtower merely yawned as the woman left, and quickly sat up. "_Ay, caramba, _what could be so important to wake a man up in the middle of the night?" the person muttered with a Spanish accent clearly visible in his manner of speech, as the moon shone a beam of light down at the man, revealing curly, puffy brown hair, tanned skin and blue eyes, as well as a long thin, curly moustache, and a curly beard adorning his face. "Eh, she usually knows a ship when she sees one. Not the brightest _complicé _in the book, like my former one… Well, might as well _mirar algo_ at this ship." Then, he leapt from the watchtower, and began trotting slowly after his partner.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Shocking Encounter!**

**The Shrouded Robber, Revisited!**

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"…and then, the fair princess was freed from her curse, and she and the wonderful prince lived happily ever after." Three days had passed since the Cross Skull Pirates had received their Log Pose from Brook, and after leaving Reverse Mountain, Jin had to press his navigational skills to the limit to figure out how to not only deal with finding the path ahead with the Log, but also to move through the treacherous waters that were seemingly cursed with a spree of storms. Right now, however, the sea was at ease, and Maria had just finished telling Craigmirra a good-night story.

"Was it really that easy?" Craigmirra asked curiously, as Maria tucked her in. "I mean, the witch that put the curse on the princess could just come back, if she really was that powerful. And what if the prince really was a lazy bum who wouldn't bother lifting a finger to help out in their castle?"

Maria smiled briefly, as she looked at the ceiling. "It's a fairy-tale, Craigmirra. When it comes to them, there's no need to worry about the harshness of reality; when something good happens, nothing bad will come out of it."

Craigmirra nodded, as she looked at the ceiling as well. "You know, Maria, you're really working yourself out for us." she said bluntly, as she looked at her crewmate. "I mean, you've been helping each of us like a ant working for its queen, and you seem to like helping out, as well."

Maria blinked upon hearing this, as she scratched her neck, laughing weakly. "Well, as I've said, it's a habit I've picked up, so I just want to be of as much help as I can." she replied softly, as she closed her eyes.

Craigmirra nodded again, as she tapped her chin for a few seconds. "So, do you think you could keep a secret for me?" she asked sweetly, as Maria quickly opened her eyes at this request, before nodding approvingly. "Well, you see… remember how you were told that I was taken into the crew because of how I beat down a robber called Ignacio?"

"Y-yes, I think you did mention that." Maria briefly replied, as she noted the unusual seriousness in Craigmirra's eyes.

"Well, I've never told anyone out of fear for Zugai kicking me out of the crew, but… that guy and I, we used to be partners." she said bluntly, as she noted Maria's confused look. "Ya see, back on Kyokuba Island, where I used to live, I met Ignacio when he was gonna rob a bank, or something, but it went wrong, and he nearly got shot into bits and pieces by some policemen. I saved him from the brink of death, and in gratitude, he asked me to become his partner. Feeling sorry for the guy, I accepted."

Maria nodded, as she looked at the door to make sure that no one was eavesdropping. "And… what happened?"

"Well, pretty recently, just about a week before I met Zugai, I came across his wanted poster, and I instantly knew that I HAD to get into his crew, so I kindly asked Ignacio for a favor…" Craigmirra began, as she looked down at her own hands…

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"_C'mon, pretty please!" Craigmirra asked, as she was practically on her knees before Ignacio, who merely glanced at her as he was reading a local newspaper. "I know that you and I've been working as a team for a while, but I really need someone to help me get into that crew at all costs! He's just so dreamy!" she added, as she suddenly swooned, levitating from the ground, before Ignacio pulled her down._

"_So, let me see if I _aprehender_…" Ignacio began, as he closed the newspaper, and looked down at Craigmirra. "You want me to find out where this _Ortopédico el Diablo _is located or headed, and help you get aboard their ship?" he asked, as he stood up, towering over the crouching Craigmirra. "In that case, let me ask a _pregunta_… What will I obtain from this?"_

_Craigmirra opened her mouth to answer, before closing it again. "Um… Well, that is to say, uh…" she stuttered, as she tried to formulate her words in a coherent manner, until she was brought to reality by Ignacio laughing. "Hey, what's so funny?"_

"Niño_, you don't have to answer that!" he said cheerfully, as he hoisted Craigmirra to her feet. "Of the partners I have been working with, you've definitely been the most _servicial_, so consider our partnership my _pago _for helping you find this man!"_

_Craigmirra suddenly broke into a huge cry of joy, as she began hugging Ignacio's legs with joy. "YAAAY! Thank you so much, thanks so much, you're the best, Ignacio! I'll never forget this, like, EVER!"_

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"So, he found out about a rumor that Zugai's next location was actually our island, and from there, when I failed to convince him by myself, Ignacio volunteered to let me beat the hell out of him just so I could get accepted into the crew." Craigmirra finished, as she looked over at Maria, who seemed to be very interested in the story. "Since then, I've fought with the desire to admit that it was a set-up, but at the same time, the fear of being rejected, after what he did for me…"

Maria nodded, as she held her chin whilst thinking of something to reply with. "Well, I'm not entirely sure yet on how Zugai's mind works, but if you've really earned the right to be his crewmate, I'm sure he wouldn't mind." she said with a smile, as she turned to leave. "And don't worry, I won't tell anyone; it's a promise." she added, before she reached the door.

"Right! It's a promise!" Craigmirra called back, as she yawned, before putting her head on her pillow, closing her eyes. Smiling softly, Maria left the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Ah, there you are." The sudden voice-call made Maria jump in her tracks, as she quickly looked behind her to see Nampu blinking in confusion. "Uh… did I say something weird?"

Maria quickly relaxed, as she wiped her brow. "Oh, sorry, you just startled me. Um… can I help you?" she asked gently, as she scratched her forehead with a bashful smile on her face.

"Well, not really at the moment, I guess." Nampu replied, as he looked towards the kitchen. "But Zugai wanted us to gather in the kitchen to see where the Log's taken us, and all. C'mon, I think Shin's making something to go along with it!" With that, he suddenly turned heel, and dashed towards the kitchen, and dumbfounded, Maria followed him, though at a slower pace.

As they entered the kitchen, they found that the rest of the crew was already sitting by the table, looking at their map. "Oh, there you are!" Shin said enthusiastically once she saw Maria and Nampu. "We were afraid you two were gonna miss out on the meal!" she added, as she handed them each a plate with some fried potatoes on them. Nodding, the pair sat down next to their crew. "Say, Maria, did you help Craigmirra go to bed?" Shin asked out of curiosity.

"Um, yes…" Maria nodded bashfully, as she looked at the map. "Ah, where are we headed, if I might ask?" she asked, as she looked towards Jin, who was staring at the Log now bound to his wrist.

"Well, I've been observing our path since we left Reverse Mountain, and I think we're headed…" Jin began, as he moved his finger so that it pointed at an island between one called Inazuma Island, and another called Whiskey Peak. "Towards this island, and according to the map, it's called Atsumari Island. When we get there, I'd suggest we find someone who can tell us how long it will take for the Log to "set".

"Bt vat f de ishand ish dshrtd?" KC asked with his mouth stuffed full with food, as he pointed at the island on the map, before swallowing what he had in his mouth. "There is a possibility that no one actually lives there, you know."

"Even so," Zugai began, as he too pointed at the island on the map, "we might be able to pick up some resources there, and then we'll just wait out the time period for the Log to set." Then, he looked at his navigator, who had taken his emptied plate off the table, in order to clean it. "So, Jin, when would you say that we get there?"

As he asked that, Jin briefly glanced out the still-open door, as he saw an island in the distance. "Well, I'd say in a few minutes, give or take." he replied bluntly, as he pointed out the open door, showing the island right ahead.

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As Howling Moon landed on the shore of the island, the crewmates still awake observed it, only to find that it was fairly deserted, with absolutely no sign of any human life whatsoever. The only thing visible was a path going through the woods, up to a mountain further ahead of them. "Well, I guess I'm psychic, or something." KC said dryly, as he yawned briefly.

"We can joke later, KC." Jin said, as he rubbed his chin. "For now, some of us should go find provisions on the island, and see if there's anyone else here."

Just then, the group heard a splash, as they saw that their captain had jumped ship, walking towards the forest further ahead. "I'll only need two others with me." Zugai said, as he looked ahead. "The rest of you should go get some sleep.

Shin looked towards the forest path, before nodding. "Well, why the hell not? 'ey, Zugai, I'm coming with'cha!" she called, as she quickly jumped ship, running after her captain.

"Well, I might as well come along, too." Nampu shrugged, as he made sure that his iron pipe still hung from his make-shift sheath. "Talk to ya later, guys!" he called, as he too leapt off the ship, but as soon as he made contact with the ground, they heard something coming from the forest. "Uh… what's that?"

Suddenly, from the path, a myriad of small animals rushed out in terror, as someone ran out besides them, laughing blissfully. "Run bunnies, run snakies, run to the shore!" the person laughed, as the crew quickly got a good look at the person; it was a woman, whose hair was spiky with a electric blue color, but the spikes were rising in such a way that you'd think that she had spent three lifetimes worth of hair gel to keep it like that. She also wore a leather jacket that was woolen on the inside, and a white shirt, black jeans and steel-tipped boots made up the rest of her wardrobe. Her eyes were bright yellow, and her teeth were spiky, like shark teeth. But the most unusual thing about her was that electricity was crackling through her body, most notably her hair. And obviously, she had discovered the pirates, and was now headed right towards them. "Zapapapapa! There you are, and here I am, to rock you like a hurricane!" she laughed, as she reeled her right arm back during the run, as electricity begun building up around her finger-tips.

As he saw the woman approach them, Zugai instinctively drew Honehakaisha, and stood before his crewmates on the shore, protective. "If you're looking for a fight, then I'm gonna give it to you!" he called, as he awaited the woman, who was getting closer by the minute.

"Zapapapapa!" the woman laughed again, as she noticed Zugai arming himself. "You look like fun! Let's have some fun!" Then, she picked up the pace, as even the trail she was running on began emitting sparks of electricity as she ran for the ship! "Tsun, tsun, tsun, tsun, TSUNDASTRAIKU!!!" she yelled, as she quickly came to a halt right next to Zugai… only to merely poke him with her electrically-charged finger.

"Ow!" Quickly, Zugai retracted his arm upon being zapped by the woman, who began laughing almost immediately after poking him. "What was that for?" he asked surly, as the woman just wouldn't stop laughing.

"You're just too fun!" she laughed, as she suddenly began breathing heavily. "You're…" Then, the Cross Skull Pirates noticed that her hair suddenly shrunk in size, as the electricity around her died out. "Fun…" Then, she quickly sat down on the ground, panting as if she had been running at 300 MpH (which, to be fair, she nearly had). "Wow, Wora's kinda tired now. Let's take a break!" she said in an exhausted tone, before whistling to herself as she drew characters in the sand.

As she drew, the crew could only blink at just how childish this woman was, as she was even singing a make-shift song about giraffes as she drew one in the sand. "What… could anyone tell me if she's being serious?" Krystal asked in confusion, as she looked at her other crewmates.

"You tell me." Chris shrugged, as she sheathed her double-sided dagger, which she had drawn just in case. "But she doesn't seem too harmful, when you look at it."

"Doesn't look harmful…" KC muttered, as he shook his head. "Even still, she freaks me out. She feels just like Card Shark back at Shigusa…" However, just as he mentioned Card Shark, Wora quickly sprung up from the sand, looking frantically around herself.

"Card Shark?! Where is he?!" she yelled, as her hair began sparking again, before she rubbed her hands against each other rapidly. "Oh, if I find that card-playing bozo, he'll be…" Then, after rubbing her hands sufficiently, she held them out, palms pointed upwards, as electricity began cracking between her hands. "THUNDERSTRUCK!" she yelled, as her hair again grew in size, more and more electricity sparking through it. However, as quickly as she had gotten up, she relaxed herself, as she looked at the crew. "So, what're your names again?" she asked more relaxed, though electricity still surged through her.

Zugai blinked a little, before clearing his throat. "Well, my name is-" Just before he got to tell Wora his name, she poked him once more with her electrified finger. "D'ow! What was that-" Once again, he was interrupted by Wora playfully poking him repeatedly with her electric fingers.

"I got the touch!" Wora laughed, as she continued poking Zugai, which was more or less starting to annoy the pirate more and more by the minute. "I got the POWER!" And just as she said that, however, just as she poked Zugai, he was sent flying right into the side of Howling Moon. "Yeah, all hell's breaking loose, but I'm riding the eye of the storm!" she laughed, as she was now running in a circle with her arms stretched out, making bird-noises.

"Gnh…" Zugai struggled to get up, but the electrical shock had nearly paralyzed him, so Nampu and Shin had to help him get to his feet. "What kinda Devil Fruit has she eaten, anyway?" he muttered, as he noted how cheerful Wora was at the moment. "And why is she acting so blissful?"

Just then, the sound of a door opening was heard, and everyone except Wora looked towards where the sound came from, to see Craigmirra drowsily rubbing her eyes standing in the doorway. "Uh, why are you guys so noisy? I can't get any sleep like that." she groaned, as she shambled closer to the railing, when she saw Zugai being supported by Nampu and Shin, as well as Wora running around in a circle. "Uhh… what's going on here?"

"Ah, well…" Maria began, as she butted her index fingers together. "You see, this girl showed up, and, well, she seemed to zap Zugai with some kind of power, so he was thrown into the ship, and…" However, when Maria suddenly noticed Craigmirra's deathly expression, she instinctively backed away.

Just then, Wora stopped running, as she looked curiously at Craigmirra. "Eeh, a little girl!" she squealed, as she hugged her own body with a huge smile on her face. "You look so cute, I could just hug the carp out of you!" she said in an even more cheerful tone, even though she seemed unaware that she had said 'carp' instead of 'crap'.

Just then, however, a massive, pink aura exploded around Craigmirra, as all the crewmembers next to her were literally blown aside, before she quickly leapt off the ship, running at Wora with a murderous glance. "JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, YOU F=&#/%¤ SON OF A SH#¤&/%&(& #¤&%& #%%/q#) BITCH?!?!?!" she yelled, as her hair suddenly began waving like crazy.

Just as she heard that, Wora frowned, and began rubbing her hands together, though this time, she did it so fast that you'd think she'd suffer from friction burns. "That's not a nice thing to say, meanie!" she said, as her hair began growing to ridiculous proportions, with more and more electricity surging through her. "FOR VICTORY I RIDE THE FURY OF THE STORM!!!" she suddenly yelled, as what seemed to be a clap of thunder shot out from her, which even pushed back the enraged Craigmirra. Then, Wora flew right at Craigmirra, a psychotic, yet somehow cheerful look plastered on her face.

"DON'T EVEN THINK FOR A SECOND THAT YOU CAN F&#/*+\ OVERCOME ME! PINK TYPHOON OF THE KAWAIII UMBRELLA!!!" Craigmirra yelled angrily, as she quickly threw a kick at Wora, but the bigger woman managed to bend away from it. A missed-off sneer on her face, she threw a punch downwards, only for Wora to roll away from it.

"Yay, let's play!" Wora laughed, as Craigmirra threw attack after attack at her, but she playfully avoided every single one of them. "We'll play patty-cake! I go first!" Then, she threw her opened hand right at Craigmirra, connecting her palm with Craigmirra's face. Just then, an electrical surge went through it, and Craigmirra was sent flying away from her, crashing into the sand. "No, you're supposed to use your hand, not your head!"

However, Craigmirra quickly got up, as she cupped her hands together, looking at Wora with an angered look on her face. "SUCK ON THIS, BITCH! RAVU RABU HEART DESTRUCTION WAVE!!!" As she yelled this, pink energy began amassing in her hands, as the rest of the Cross Skull Pirates looked in shock at Craigmirra.

"Oh boy, this is gonna get ugly!" Jin said in a worried tone, as he looked from Craigmirra to Wora. "The wave can only strike things with a heart and soul, if what she said was anything to go by. So if she strikes home with that thing…" Thinking quickly, he threw his own hand upwards, sending a small wave flying up underneath Zugai, Nampu and Shin, throwing them back into the boat. "I'd suggest we get some space!"

And just as the crew scrambled away from the battle site, Craigmirra unleashed a massive pink energy wave, headed straight for Wora, who only looked in awe as it approached her. "Ooh, pink energy… Wonder what it tastes like?" Then, she opened her mouth, as it seemed that the massive wave would engulf her…

"_Reaparcer!_" Just as the wave passed over Wora, the Cross Skull pirates managed to hear this being called out, before the wave slowly died out. However, once the wave died out, they quickly saw that a massive rock now blocked Wora, and as it had passed through terrain, Wora was spared.

"Hoo wowie, that was cool!" she laughed, as she danced in place, occasionally jumping up and down. "Do it again, do it again, do it again!"

Craigmirra, on the other hand, could only gape at the fact that her attack had done nothing. "How… but I… and the… so who…?" she muttered, as she looked desperately around, until she saw someone exit the woods.

"_Afortunado…_ For a moment there, I thought I was too late." a Spanish accent said, as Craigmirra quickly recognized the character, who was the man we read about up there; El Envuelto Ladrón, or more commonly known as Ignacio Tacito Velasco. "Still got that _atemperar_, eh, little girl? It's still as _amable_ as it was back then…"

Just as she saw Ignacio, Craigmirra began breathing heavily. "Y… you… why're you…" Suddenly, she collapsed, having lost all will to stand up, as sleep took her over.

"H-hey, Craigmirra!" Quickly, Zugai ran for his crewmate, and kneeled down to her, to check if she was alright, and not before long, the rest of his crew followed him. "Damn… and what are you doing here, anyway?" he said, as he gave Ignacio a glare, who only shook his hands defensively.

"Now, now, let's not blow this out of _proporción_, alright?" Ignacio replied, as he nodded to Wora, who ran up to Craigmirra, feeling her pulse slightly. "Besides, can't a good man have a nice break at his own _casa_? And as they say, _mi casa e su casa._"

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**A/N: **Apologies for the delay, but it took a while to decide what to do with this arc. But anyway, I'd like us all to give **Nezumimaru **a hearty round of applause, for coming up with "Live Wire" Wora, the sole reason I managed to come up with this arc. And if you listen to music, you might find some references there with Wora. And yes, I gave her a unique laugh, but I thought that it'd fit. Until next time, remember to read and review!

**YolkaEd**


	31. A Thief's Standards!

_She hears voices. They are at first unclear, but she can discern them as male and female. Her eyes are closed, but the voices still pierce her subconscious. "__Come on, we don't have much time!" a male voice calls, obviously in distress, though she can't see why._

"_I'm… Yes, I'm coming!" a female voice calls in equal worry, as she feels her body sway from side to side; she must be being held by the woman. "I couldn't leave her for those monsters, could I?"_

"_You are right." the man answers, as she again feels her body sway from side to side. "If we hurry, we may be able to reach the ship headed for Lougetown. We'll definitely be safe-" He's not allowed to finish his sentence, as the sound of rifles cocking are heard around them._

"_Are we going somewhere, my good sir?" a shrill male's voice asks with a snide tone to it. She just knows from the tone that this man is bad news._

"_A-ah, me and my wife, we were just going for a holiday… temporarily, of course." the other man replies. He lies, of course; he has no intention of returning._

"_Ah, I see." the older man answers, as someone approaches her; she feels her being floated away from the footsteps. "Then, in that case, I would gladly take care of your child whilst you are away." he continues, though she doesn't know if he's being sincere, mischievous, or just plain lecherous._

"_N-no!" the younger man shoots in. "We… we're taking our daughter with us so that she can… experience more different cultures than on this island!" Another lie. She knows that._

"_Listen here…" the older man begins, as his tone becomes graver, though it remains as snide as before. "The Devil Fruit we've discovered has, if the notes Vegapunk left behind are anything to go by, shown itself to be more potent if it's fed to a younger child. I'll make sure that you can raise her as your own child… but I'm going to harness her potential."_

"_No!" the woman suddenly yells, as she feels herself being pulled further away. "I'll never hand my child over to you freaks!" she added, as something wet dropped down on her own cheek; she assumed that it was a tear from the woman._

"_No, wait, don't-" the man calls, but before he can finish his sentence, a gun-shot rings through the air, and she feels a bump as the woman crashes into the ground; dead. "No… you bastards! She was my wife!" the man yells, but suddenly, something grabs him, earning a slight yelp of surprise._

"_The doctor only wanted the child, and did not wish for this to happen." a new, male voice said, this one sounding more like a teenager. "Not only have you brought upon the death of your wife, but we will still take the girl, and you won't live to see her ever again." Then, she hears something solidifying itself from liquid, though she's unaware of what. "Irony's a bitch, wouldn't you say? Steel Tentacle." Then, the sound of flesh being pierced several times is heard, to her disgust, but she can't do anything to stop this teenager. Then, a thump is heard; the man had been killed by the teenager._

"_Hrmph… You went overboard, as usual, Steel Scythe." the older man muttered, as she could hear him approach her, each step sounding more and more like a clock striking, to signify midnight. "But no matter; the girl is mine." he added in a more cynical tone, as she felt rougher hands pick her up. "Her prowess will ultimately lead to my ascension as God of the Seas!" he yelled, as he began laughing, which somehow made her open her eyes quite slowly._

"Hey-ooo! You awake yet?" However, once she opened her eyes, she wasn't prepared to see a blue-haired girl standing over her, with a quite goofy expression on her face. "Boy, you really went all-out, didn't you? But I do wish that I could've tasted that pink energy before Ignacio intervened…" the girl rambled on, before she stood up. "Okay, when you get up, you make sure to get out here; your crew's already begun making breakfast!" Then, she left her sight.

Sitting up, she pulled a hand through her blond hair, shaking her head in disbelief. "Man, that dream… I haven't had that in a few years." she muttered, as she quickly jumped out of the bed, only to see that she was inside of a hut, instead of the female bedroom on the Howling Moon. "Huh… man, last night must've been wild. I'd better see how people are doing, or my name ain't Little Lady Craigmirra!" Then, she left the hut, rubbing her eyes drowsily.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Thief's Standards!**

**The True Face of The Robber****!**

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As soon as she stepped out of the hut, Craigmirra saw that she most definitely wasn't on the Howling Moon, or even next to it. She found herself in a very open space, surrounded by various huts, obviously some kind of village. Looking around, she noticed two separate paths; one leading up to a mountain, which the village was at the base of, whilst the other went down towards the shore, where she could vaguely make out the ship being anchored. "Sheesh, what happened yesterday?" she muttered, as she continued looking around, before feeling a hand grab her shoulder. "Eh?"

"Well, if the Little Lady hasn't stood up from the dead!" the up-beat voice of the Cross Skull's first mate rang, as she turned around to see Nampu standing behind her, beaming like the sun. "We've been worried about you, ya know!" he added, as he playfully ruffled her hair.

"Y-yeah, yeah, I'm not dead or anything…" Craigmirra scoffed lightly, as she quickly tried fixing up her hair, but quickly stopped, before looking worriedly at Nampu. "Am I?" she asked innocently, which made Nampu laugh heartily.

"Nah, relax, you just fell asleep when that Spaniard showed up." Nampu said, as he pointed towards the mountain path. "Right now, Shin and Krystal's gone hunting…" Then, he pointed down the other path, as Craigmirra's gaze followed his finger. "…whilst KC and Jin are guarding Moon, whilst also fishing for future travels."

Craigmirra blinked a few times, before looking around the village in slight distress. "But… where's Maria, Chris and Zugai, then?" she asked, as she latched onto Nampu's leg.

"Hey, hey, now, don't worry, little girl!" Nampu laughed, which somehow made Craigmirra glare at him. "Easy now; they're with the twirly-moustache and the electric chick, making breakfast."

"He is?!" Craigmirra suddenly yelped in an ecstatic tone, as she let go of Nampu's leg. "Well, if HE makes it, then it's bound to be…" However, her dream-filled words were soon drowned by a horrific stench that reminded her of burnt steak. "Phew! Who the hell torched the food around here?" she asked in an annoyed tone, as she saw black smoke emerging from one of the huts.

Just then, five characters emerged from the hut, all holding their hands before their eyes, coughing and heaving for fresh, non-burnt air. "Zugai, you bonehead, I told you to keep an eye out on the steak!" the undeniable voice belonging to Chris shouted, as the smoke began clearing away, revealing the characters as Zugai, Chris, Maria, Ignacio and Wora.

"N-no, wait, it's my fault, really…" Maria spoke up, as she rubbed her eyes to clear her vision. "I-I shouldn't have asked why Zugai's axe is made out of bone…"

"No need to…" Zugai began, as he cleared his throat, waving away what smoke remained around him. "Blame yourself, Maria. I kinda should have paid more attention to the steak, really…" he added with a weak laugh, as Chris could only pinch the bridge between her nose in disbelief.

"_Bondad_, with cooking skills like his, I begin to wonder just how he _sobrevivir_ without a chef." Ignacio muttered, as he wiped his eyes in annoyance, before looking over at Wora, who was only giggling, as she sometimes coughed out of annoyance. "And yet, you're laughing at this _averiá _as if it were nothing." he added, before waving some smoke in front of him away.

"Yeah, I mean, he totally spiced up the steak!" Wora laughed, as she looked at her right hand, which was emitting a few sparks of electricity. "I wanted to do it, though, but he was all like the Thunderlord, or something!"

Ignacio only rolled his eyes at this statement, before rubbing his temples. "No _ofensa_, but a certain someone allegedly defeated such a lord, Wora. You could go and see if Miss _Flechero _and Miss _Cazadora _have caught anything yet." he said dryly, before he noticed Craigmirra and Nampu in front of them. "Ah, _Alba Bueno_, Craigmirra!" he said, as he waved at her.

"Eh…" Nampu began, as he rubbed the back of his neck. "It would probably surprise you to know that Zugai volunteered to prepare the steak, and, well…" Seeing the utterly shocked look on Craigmirra's face prompted him to hold in a snicker.

"Oh, Craigmirra!" Zugai called, as he laughed again. "Sorry, but I thought I could surprise the rest of the gang and you with a meal, but I think I realize just why I wasn't allowed near any kitchens back at Hobashira." he added, something that made Nampu shake his head.

"If you'd bothered leaving the smithy for a few hours, you could've been a good cook, mind you!" Nampu said jokingly, and as Zugai and Nampu descended into a mock-quarrel, Craigmirra noticed Wora getting ready to leave for the mountain path.

"Eh, hey, mind if I tag along?" Craigmirra called, as she ran up next to Wora, which made Zugai and Nampu cease their mock-fighting, as all six of them looked strangely at Craigmirra. "What? I just got up from bed, so can't I go on a little adventure because of it?" she asked with a semi-serious tone, her hands against her hips.

"Oh, no, that's not it at all!" Zugai laughed, as he nodded. "You go on ahead, Craigmirra." he added, and with a nod, Wora and Craigmirra were gone, headed up the path.

"Hrm…" Chris mused, as she watched Craigmirra leave through the thicket with Wora. "You guys sure that Craigmirra won't chew out that poor girl's throat when the opportunity arises?" she asked sarcastically, but her tone made it seem like a serious question, which led to Maria yelping in surprise and shock.

"There's no _apurar_ for that, I assure you." Ignacio spoke up, as he watched the two vanish into the woody path. "Wora may be eccentric, but she's an adept killer; no man could ever sneak up on her without risking his life." Again, a surprised yelp emerged from Maria.

"Say, there's something I've been wanting to ask you…" Nampu said, as he stepped closer to Ignacio. "Craigmirra fainted practically the moment she saw ya yesterday. I dunno if it was from exhaustion from her squabble with that electric chick, but somehow, I think you two know each other somehow…" As he said this, Chris and Zugai looked at the stern-looking Ignacio with interest, as Maria turned her head slightly away; she knew the answer to that question far too well.

"Well, we've had some history with each other." Ignacio began, as he turned away from the pirates. "Just so you know, my fight with Craigmirra onboard your _jarro _was not the first time we butted heads against each other." As he said this, Maria looked at him with a surprised look on her face; that was not what Craigmirra had told her.

"So…" Nampu began, as he scratched his head. "You're some kind of stalker?" Just as he said that, the four others collapsed out of sheer disbelief.

"_MALDICIÓN! _DO I LOOK LIKE A STALKING _INVADIR _TO YOU, OR SOMETHING?!" Ignacio cried out in a dumbfounded tone, as the pirates slowly backed away from him, before he regained his composure. "Anyway, that _excaplición _can wait for another time. Now, let's get to finding something else to cook for _almorzar_, eh?"

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As they went through the path, Wora and Craigmirra shared very little conversation; Craigmirra spent most of her time looking into the ground, whilst Wora was singing a rather off-key song. Finally unable to handle more singing when Wora started on the fifteenth verse, Craigmirra cleared her throat. "So, how long have ya known Ignacio, anyway?" she said, as Wora turned around and looked down at Craigmirra.

"You mean Blanka?" Wora asked questioningly, as she tapped her lips for a few seconds. "Well, I guess… a long time!" she added, before she laughingly prepared to sing again.

"Wait, wait, hang on…" Craigmirra asked with a groan, as she held her hand out as to signify that Wora had to shut up for a second. "You can't just be that vague; give me something to work with, c'mon!"

Blinking, Wora began rubbing her hand against her chin, making different thinking-noises, until she suddenly snapped her fingers, a slight electric spark shooting out from them. "Yeah, now I remember! I met Blanka about four years ago!" she replied, as she giggled happily at her discovery. "We met up at this ceremony whatchamacallit thing, and luck would have it that I was assigned to Blanka's unit!"

Craigmirra blinked her eyes in confusion, as she scratched her head. "Unit? I thought Ignacio was some sort of thief, and you make it seem like he's in the army." she said, as she noticed a clearing ahead of them. "Is that where Krystal and Shin were?" she asked, before she ran ahead of Wora.

"Hey, wait up, silly goose!" Wora laughed, as she prepared to break into a run, when she noticed something down through the forest. "Wait a minute, that's not…" Suddenly, she froze.

"Hey, Wora!" she heard Krystal yell, as she saw Craigmirra returning from the clearing with Shin and Krystal in tow, none of them noticing what Wora had noticed. "We're gonna go back to the village; no animals got caught in a single trap today." Krystal said in a defeated tone. "You tagging along, or not?"

Wora shook her head lightly. "Ah, no, Wora's gonna go exploring on her own! You go tell Blanka that I'll be gone for a little while, m'kay?" she said with a huge grin on her face. Nodding, the girls left Wora, as they went back down the path. Just as they went out of her sight, however, the grin died out, as her hair slowly grew taller. "Trying to mess with Blanka, will you? I'll rock your socks off if you even THINK-" Suddenly, something struck the back of her head, as a brief electrical surge went through her body, as she fell limply to the ground.

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Time passed, and Wora didn't return from her so-called "trek", which worried Krystal, Shin and Craigmirra somewhat, though Ignacio assured them that Wora often went for trips like this during her free time. Despite those worries, the day passed by rather quickly, without anything too exciting happening.

Soon, the sun was beginning to set, and the Cross Skull Pirates felt the need to spend the last night they would have on Atsumari Island at their ship, since the Log would set itself on the next island by the time they would wake up. As the other crewmembers left for the ship, Zugai remained in the village for just a little while longer to speak with Ignacio.

"So, let me see just where you're coming from here…" Zugai asked, as he rubbed his temples questioningly. "You're telling me that this whole thief-thing is really all a font for you leading some sort of army?" he added, as Ignacio nodded his head.

"That is what I said." he replied, as a few moments of silence passed by. Then, both he and Zugai broke out in laughter, as it had obviously been a joke. "My Gods, you should have seen the look on your _aspecto_! Completely _inestimable_, I tell you!"

"Yeah, I agree on that!" Zugai laughed, as he turned away from Ignacio. "You know, you're not so bad, after all. I kinda feel sorry for you after the beating Craigmirra gave ya." he added, as he went down the path to the ship. "See you around, I guess!"

"Count on it, _Ortopédico_!" Ignacio called, as Zugai slowly vanished from sight. Then, he crossed his arms, nodding to himself. "Now, _gringo_, when were you planning to show yourself?" he said, and just as he did, someone emerged from the thicket; none other than Morte del Astuto himself.

"My, I guess your skills of perception are as famed as they say!" Morte said, as he clapped his hands mockingly. "El Envuelto Ladrón, a thief hailing from West Blue… or should I say, Ignacio Tacito Velasco, an enforcer of the Revolutionary Army?" he added, as he noticed Ignacio suddenly tensing. "Ah, I hit the mark, didn't I?"

"You're a guessing man, are you not? That reminds me of Manigordo, the _regalo cazador _from East Blue." Ignacio said, as he shook his head, "I don't know how you knew about that…" he spat, as his right arm turned into a piece of sharp cloth, which he quickly pointed at Morte's neck. "But I'd rather see you leave _enseguida_, or the consequences are going to be grave, _amigo_."

Morte merely chuckled, as he moved the cloth aside with the blade hidden underneath the left sleeve of his jacket. "You deny my assumptions, and therefore, I'm glad to see that I was correct. The Government would love to have one of the Revolutionary's enforcers in their prison, especially since Dragon has all but vanished from the world. As time would move by, you would be forced to reveal your rank, what the Revolutionaries are planning nowadays, where you hail from, childhood friends…" However, just as he said that, he felt something envelope his neck, as Ignacio had wrapped the cloth around Morte's neck.

"You _bastardo_... Do you think for one second that I would share my _pasado _with anyone?!" Ignacio yelled, as he tightened the grip around Morte's neck. "I'll snap your neck before your _bifurcajo badajo _can spout any more accursed words." he said coldly, as Morte only started to laugh softly, even as he was being strangled.

"Oh, I wouldn't do that… After all, what do you think would happen to your little partner-in-crime if you kill me?" Morte said mockingly, as Ignacio's eyes widened. "Ah, I see; you seem to have a soft-spot for the girl, right?"

Growling, Ignacio let go of Morte, who fell to the ground, heaving for air. "You are a true _diablo_, if I've ever met one." he muttered, as his right arm formed itself into an arm again. "So, what do you want?"

Morte chuckled, as he looked up at Ignacio with a mocking glare. "I'm only after the Cross Skull Pirates. Come sunrise, I want you to deliver a message to them. Do so, and stay out of trouble, and I'll let your little subordinate, or whatever she is, go free. What do you say?"

Ignacio narrowed his eyes in anger, as he glared at the bounty hunter before him. "Damned _bastardo_…" he muttered, as he remembered just how he and Wora had met…

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"_He was a pirate boy; she said 'See you later boy'; he was too evil for her tastes!" a younger Wora sang, as she was quite literally skipping towards a building, as she held her eyes closed, too caught up in her own singing to notice a younger Ignacio standing ahead of her. "Now he's the Pirate King; showing off his new bling; and she just whispered 'What a waste'!" Just as she finished singing, however, she bumped right into Ignacio, sending both of them crashing into the ground. "Ouch… hey, watch where you're standing!" she said surly, as she rubbed her back. "Ow, I think I sprained something…"_

"_I doubt it". Ignacio muttered, as he quickly jumped up, looking down at Wora. "You must be the _fresco carne _our field boss mentioned would join our squad." Then, he stretched out an arm to help her up. "I'm called Velasco by most here, but you may call me Ignacio, _señorita_. Now, would you care to give me your name?"_

_Wora looked at the hand for a little while, before grabbing it, shaking it vigorously. "I'm Wora, and you can call me Wora, and I'll call you Blanka, because that's a whole lot cuter than that other thing you said!" she said with a giggle, as Ignacio chuckled lightly at this._

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"_Forgive me, Ortopédico… but I can't risk my fellow soldiers' safety like this._" he thought, as he looked angrily at Morte. "Well, what kind of _mandado_ do you want me to deliver?" he asked, as Morte smiled smugly.

"Well, I was getting to that, my dear Revolutionary." Morte began, as his eyes glinted with a tint of pure bloodlust. "I was just getting to that…"

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**A/N: **Uh oh, we seem to be developing some dramatic tension here! Anyways, I'm just praying that **Kisadota** will forgive this _slight_ change of character I made for Ignacio, but I thought it would work fine; an enforcer for a rebel army, taking the guise as a common thief who shares his goods with the poor! Well, make of it what you will, but for those who found this tame, worry not, because we're getting into heavy territory now!

**YolkaEd**


	32. Manigordo's Grand Battle part 1

Nightfall had settled over Atsumari Island, and at this moment, there was not a single soul awake onboard the Howling Moon… unless you'd like to count three silhouettes sneaking towards the pirate ship as souls. "Alright, we've gone over this, so it should be clear to you." one of them said, before he looked towards the bigger man beside him. "Vraspos, you got the goods?"

"Yes, I have, Morte." Vraspos replied, as he pulled what seemed to be five syringes from underneath his coat. "Both this and the antidote are only available in the lands I hail from, so in other words, what I possess is all that exists on the Blue Sea."

Morte nodded, as he took two of the syringes, before handing them over to the third man. "Alright, you know what to do. Only take down those with bounties, except for their captain. Leave all others to their own devices. Got that, Akira?" he said, as they stopped just below the ship.

"Alright, I promise I won't go overboard, if that's what you're afraid of…" Akira mumbled, as he climbed up the deck, followed shortly by Vraspos and Morte. Then, the trio split up, with Akira and Vraspos headed towards separate rooms on the ship, whilst Morte held his position, scouting for anyone who could potentially spoil their cover.

Opening a door, Vraspos found himself inside the boy's sleeping room, where Zugai, Nampu, KC and Jin were all fast asleep. Slowly, he made his way towards Nampu, who was snoring quite loudly. "Hrm… fall into the never-ending abyss of sleep, Storm." he whispered, as he took one of the syringes, before injecting it into Nampu's neck. At first, he stirred a little, but soon calmed down, though his snoring had died out.

"Hm. Next, the Lord." he muttered, as he took a second syringe, before walking over to Jin. Quickly, he injected what was inside the syringe into Jin's neck as well, making him give off the same response as Nampu had; a short stir, before calming. "And now, the Swordsman." Then, taking the last syringe he had on him, he walked over to KC, before injecting the syringe's contents into his neck as well, once again causing the same reaction. Then, he slowly left the room, all without making a sound.

As he did this, Akira had made his way into the women's room, where he could see four people lying in their beds. "Okay, may as well…" he whispered, as he slowly made his way to one of the beds, inspecting just who was in it, who turned out to be Krystal. "Oh, just the Archer…" he sighed in defeat, as he took one of the syringes he had in his possession, before injecting it into her neck, making her give off the same reaction as the three boys.

Looking towards the second bed, he slowly saw just who was in it; this was Chris, though she was still wearing her hat. "Huh, wonder what a guy's doing, sleeping in the women's room." he whispered, as he walked over to the third bed, where Maria slept. "Ooh, they got a Fishman… er, Fishwoman." he whispered, as he made his way to the fourth bed, where he found Craigmirra. "Oh, just the Lady." he sighed, as he took his final syringe, before injecting it into Craigmirra's neck, causing the same reaction to come from her. Then, he left the room.

"Alright, you two done now?" Morte asked, as his two partners walked out of their respective rooms. "Good. Now, we'll have to wait until sunrise…" he muttered, as he turned to leave, when the opening of a door caused him to freeze.

"Uh, who's makin' all this racket?" a female voice said drowsily, as the three bounty hunters looked towards where it came from, to see Shin standing in the kitchen's doorway, holding a candle. "A girl can't make herself a late-night snack without having… wait, haven't I seen you guys before?" she said in surprise, as she squinted, noticing just who the three were.

Akira looked towards Shin, and immediately, he stepped back in shock, eyes widened and mouth gaping. "It's… I can't believe it… it's really you…" he muttered, as he pointed towards Shin, a smile slowly creeping up his lips. "You're… you're Shin Mikage, right?" he asked hopefully.

"Eh?" Shin replied in a confused tone. "What the hell are you talking about? And how did you know my-" Just as she was about to question the three, she felt a heavy blow strike her stomach, as the wind got knocked out of her. Losing consciousness, she saw that Morte had struck her with the handle of his kris, before she collapsed on the deck, dropping the candle.

Akira looked at this with shock, but before he could question Morte, he was stopped by Vraspos, who held an arm out to block his path. "She's seen too much." Morte said coldly, as he heaved Shin over his shoulder, before turning to leave. "We can't have her spoiling the plan, can we, Akira?"

"But…" Akira grumbled, as he looked at Shin's unconscious body. "…no. I guess we can't." he said grudgingly, as he jumped off deck.

"Relax, you can keep her company." Morte said in a lighter tone, as he and Vraspos followed suit. "After all, come tomorrow morning, her crew will be all but decimated." he added, as his eyes glinted with the same bloodlust as before.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Manigordo's Grand Battle part 1**

**Loyalties of a Fool**

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As the sun shone through the window of the boy's room at Howling Moon, Zugai sat up from his bed, stretching his limbs with a self-pleased groan. "Ah, a new day, a truck-load of possibilities." he said happily, as he looked at his still-sleeping crewmembers. "Hey, guys, come on, get up! We gotta get ready for the next island!" However, there was no response, not even any disgruntled groans from his crewmates. "Guys? Come on, let's get up!" Still no response. "H-hey, come on, you're really starting to scare me!" he laughed weakly, as he quickly jumped out of bed, before running over to Nampu. "Hey, Nampu, get up! Come on, I'll race ya to the kitchen!" Still no response, and by this point, Zugai was beginning to feel afraid. "H-hey, there's a Marine here who's discriminating homosexuality! Are you just gonna let that fly by you?!" At this point, Zugai was shaking Nampu's body, but still, no movement.

Suddenly, he heard a frightened scream coming from outside. "That voice… Maria!" Quickly, Zugai ran outside, as he saw Maria sitting on her knees on deck, holding her hands before her face, as she seemed to be crying. "H-hey, Maria, what's the matter?"

"I'll tell ya what the matter is!" Chris' voice called, as she stormed out from the girl's bedroom, looking quite flustered. "Craigmirra and Krystal aren't moving, and Shin's missing!" she said, and as he heard this, Zugai fell to the ground, looking for the first time since he began his journey genuinely terrified. "Z-Zugai?" Chris said worriedly, as she walked next to Maria to comfort her. "I don't like that look on your face. What's wrong?"

"They're…" Zugai stuttered, as he slowly moved his hands so that they held his head. "They're not… they're not moving?" Quickly, he dashed past Chris and Maria into the girl's room, where he saw that Krystal and Craigmirra both were lying unmoving in their beds. "No… what the hell…" he said in a terrified tone, before he backed out of the room, breathing heavily. "It can't be… WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED HERE?!" Suddenly, he slammed both of his fists into the wall, creating a fairly-sized hole in it, before collapsing on his knees. "Just what… happened…"

Both Maria and Chris looked at their captain, both of them shocked to see just how different from how he usually was. "Z-Zugai…" Maria began, before she wiped her eyes dry. "D-don't take it so hard! Maybe they're just sleeping heavily, or…" Her voice died out, as she looked down into the ground, obviously at a loss of words.

Chris looked at Zugai with a worried look, before suddenly turning her head towards the woods, where she saw Ignacio limping down from the path towards them. "Hey, isn't that Ignacio over there?" However, just as she mentioned Ignacio's name, Zugai looked towards it with an angry glare, before almost flying off deck, running towards Ignacio with his gloved hand reeled back. "H-hey, wait, what are you doing?!"

Zugai, now yelling angrily, quickly approached Ignacio, who didn't even make any effort into dodging or blocking Zugai's attack, as Zugai violently slammed his gloved fist into Ignacio's face, sending him crashing into the ground. "What happened?!" he growled, as he quickly heaved Ignacio from the ground, shaking him by his collar. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO THEM?!" he nearly screamed, a demonically angered look on his face.

"Forgive me…" Ignacio muttered, as he looked away from Zugai. "I had no choice…" However, just as he said this, Zugai slammed his head against Ignacio's skull, his hardened bones strengthening the effect of the impact.

"No choice?! Like I'm gonna believe that bullshit!" Zugai yelled, as he slammed Ignacio's body into the ground, before grabbing his throat with his gloved hand. "JUST WHY DID YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT BRINGING HARM TO MY CREWMATES?!" he shouted, as tears actually began forming in his eyes.

"LISTEN TO ME, YOU _PENDEJO!_" Ignacio suddenly yelled, as he quickly rolled over so that he was on top of Zugai, holding down his hands. "I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH WHATEVER HAPPENED TO YOUR FRIENDS! THIS MISDEED WAS CARRIED OUT BY MORTE DEL ASTUTO AND HIS _COMPLICÉS_, SO JUST SHUT UP AND LET ME EXPLAIN FULLY! _COMPRENDER?!_"

"Who the hell are you talking about?!" Zugai yelled in return, as he kicked Ignacio off him, before leaping at his downed body, pinning him down. "IF YOU KNEW THAT THIS WAS GONNA HAPPEN, THEN WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU DO ANYTHING TO STOP IT?!" he screamed, as he raised his gloved fist upwards, prepared to slam it into Ignacio.

"BECAUSE THOSE _BASTARDOS _TOOK WORA!" Ignacio yelled in reply, as he suddenly began sobbing, which threw the still angered Zugai off. "If I could stop those _diablos_, I would have done so! But they kidnapped her, and forced me to deliver a message to you!"

As Ignacio continued sobbing, Zugai felt a hand lower his fist, and as he looked up, he saw that it was Chris. "Zugai, just leave him, okay?" she said calmingly, as she moved Zugai away from Ignacio, before helping the Spaniard up. Suddenly, before she could do anything, Zugai suddenly stormed off into the woods. "Zugai… well, anyway, what message was you told to deliver?" she asked Ignacio, as she wiped some blood from Ignacio's forehead with the sleeve of her jacket.

"Ah, yes…" Ignacio began, as he composed himself, wiping his eyes. "Well, after you had left for the ship, Morte approached me, and told me that unless I delivered this message to you, both the lives of your crewmates and Wora would be forfeit…"

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"_Alright, now, listen." Morte said in a composed voice, as Ignacio glared angrily at him. "During nightfall, me, Vraspos and Akira will enter their ship, and inject the ones with bounties on their heads with a special serum, though we'll leave the Orthopedic alone. This serum is a very potent poison, but it will not kill its victims at once, but if left unchecked for ten days, the victim will die."_

_Seeing Ignacio's shocked look on his face seemed to amuse him, as Morte began snickering. "Now, the poison will put the victim in a coma until either they die from the poison, or if they're injected with the antidote… which I have right here." As he said this, he pulled out a syringe with a purple liquid floating inside of it. "Now, this is the most important part; there are only three of these syringes, and they are all shared evenly between me, Vraspos and Akira. In order for the Cross Skull Pirates to obtain the antidotes, they'll have to best us in battle. But then…" Morte suddenly began laughing, as he hid the syringe beneath his jacket. "There's only three syringes, and for the antidote to be fully effective, all of it must be injected into a victim, so they'll have to choose just who they really care for the most!"_

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After hearing the message, Chris growled, as she clenched her hands into fists. "So not only does he have the balls to poison our crewmates, but he also wants us to let some of them die?!" Looking towards the woods, she suddenly realized that Zugai hadn't brought along Honehakaisha. "Dammit, he's gonna need that if we're gonna fight them!" Then, she looked towards the Howling Moon, where Maria was leaning anxiously against the railing. "Hey, Maria; fetch me Zugai's axe!"

Quickly, Maria scrambled over to the boys room, before quickly reemerging with Honehakaisha, though it seemed that she had difficulty lifting it. "Okay, Chris, catch!" she yelled, as she put all her might into throwing Honehakaisha off the ship, as it landed with a thump near Chris. "I'd be careful; that thing's heavy!"

"Tell me something I don't know…" Chris muttered, as she remembered how Jin had struggled with it back on Ajito Island. "Well, might as well try!" Then, she grabbed the handle of the axe, but the weight of the axe prevented her from lifting it at all. "Dammit, what's with this axe?! Did Zugai reinforce it with a Sea-Train, or something?" However, even though she couldn't lift it, she could drag it after her, albeit slowly, as she proceeded to walk towards the woods. "I'll catch up with Zugai, but you two gotta make sure that the others don't bite the dust!"

"R-right! You just be careful, Chris!" Maria called, as Chris eventually vanished into the woods. Then, she looked towards Ignacio, who had turned his head in her direction, which made her turn away bashfully. "Eh, I should probably check on the rest of the crew…" she stuttered, as she vanished into the girl's room.

"Hrm…" Ignacio briefly closed his eyes, before returning his gaze towards the woods. "Be careful, _Ortopédico_… this Astuto is a real _matador_." Then, he ran towards the Howling Moon, intent on helping Maria with taking care of the Cross Skull Pirates.

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Trudging through the woods, Chris was grumbling incessantly about how heavy Honehakaisha was, without Zugai anywhere in sight. "If he's gone ahead and gotten himself captured, or something, then I can't just lug this heavy thing around…" she muttered, before she noticed just how far away the clearing to the village really was. "Oh, for God's sake… If I keep on dragging this thing, my arms are gonna fall off!" Just as she said this, however, she suddenly felt someone collide with her, as both she, the stranger and Honehakaisha began rolling further away from the clearing.

"Ouch… probably not such a good idea to run blindly through the woods, after all…" a male voice muttered, as Chris quickly noticed just who had crashed into her, which was none other than Zugai.

Seeing him made Chris grin somewhat. "Well, look who's here! I expected you to be fighting that guy already." she said, before she quickly sprung back to her feet. "Did ya come for your axe, or something?"

As soon as he heard the question, Zugai nodded, as he stood up, grabbing Honehakaisha in the process. "Well, I like to be on the safe side. Now, if you'll excuse me, I gotta kick this bastard's ass!" However, just before he could run ahead, Chris grabbed his arm.

"Listen here, first; Ignacio said that Morte and his two accomplices poisoned Nampu, Krystal and the others, and they have some kind of antidote for the poison… but they only have three sets of it, and we got five crewmembers in need of that antidote." she said, as she remembered each and every word Ignacio had told her.

"A poison?" Zugai asked, before suddenly heaving Chris on his back, and going into a hunched stance. "Well, we can't wait around much longer, so we'll have to be quick about this." Before Chris could protest any further, she felt Zugai grab her arm.

"H-hey, what the hell do ya think you're-" she began, when she suddenly began feeling nauseous. "Uh… what's going on?" she muttered queasily.

"You're probably feeling sick because it's the first time this happens to you. You'll get used to it over time." Zugai began, as he prepared to break into a run. "What I'm doing is that I'm decreasing the density of your skeletal structure, thus minimizing your weight, making you a hell of a lot easier to carry. How do you think I can have Honehakaisha on my back?"

Just before Chris was about to answer, Zugai quickly broke into a run, and she immediately felt just how fast Zugai was whilst running like this, with not only Honehakaisha, but also her on his back. "Don't tell me that you're decreasing your skeleton's density as well?!" she yelled, as she closed her eyes whilst awaiting Zugai accidentally crashing into something.

"That's exactly what I'm doing!" Zugai yelled in response, as they got closer to the clearing, and with a battle cry, Zugai leapt out of the woods, just in time to spot Morte and Vraspos further ahead, both of them looking towards Zugai and Chris with a surprised, yet expectant look. "There they are!"

Morte suddenly began laughing, though it was more a mocking laugh than anything else. "Well, it seems as though you finally showed up!" he called, as he pulled out the syringe with the purple liquid from out of his jacket. "You want this, right?"

Zugai stopped not too far from the bounty hunters, before dropping Chris, letting her fall to the ground, as she heaved for air, resisting the urge to throw up. "Yeah, I guess I do." he answered, as he pointed Honehakaisha at Morte. "And believe me when I say that I'm not gonna stop kicking the shit out of you until I'm satisfied, even when you finally give that thing to me."

Morte scoffed, before he put the syringe back into his jacket. "Ah, yes, I'm sure you've found out by now. Your crew is safe for ten days, at least, but regardless, if you even manage to defeat us three, you'll have to let two of your crewmates die. And such, your crew crumbles in on itself." Then, he looked towards Chris, who had managed to compose herself. "Hey, you! You look like a smart guy. Would you like to hear a proposition from me?"

However, just as he said this, Zugai quickly rushed towards him. "You're not gonna spew anymore bullshit, if I have anything to say about it!" he yelled, as he prepared to swing Honehakaisha at Morte, when Vraspos suddenly appeared before him, ready to cut him down to size with his zweihänder, but before he could do so, Chris quickly intercepted Zugai, blocking his path, without looking at him. "Chris, what're you doing?!" he yelled, before he broke into a halt.

"I think he wanted to ask me something, Captain." Chris replied bluntly, before she looked towards Morte. "C'mon, speak up."

Morte immediately began laughing, before quickly composing himself. "I just knew that you'd be smart enough to hear me out. You're not in the possession of a bounty, so I suppose that when we've killed those with bounties, you could become a partner of mine, without any fuss from the World Government. What do you say?" he said in a very persuasive tone, as he even stretched his hand out to her.

Chris didn't reply, as she only looked sternly at the outstretched hand. Then, she began snickering, before breaking out into a very fake laugh, obviously mocking Morte. "I'm sorry, what? You want me to join your team? Like hell THAT'S gonna happen!" she replied, as she noted that Morte clenched the hand in annoyance, before retracting it.

"Now, now, just think about what you're saying." he said, as he shook his head disappointedly. "Your crew is as good as dead, so only a fool would be remaining on that sinking ship."

"A fool?" Chris asked, as she now shook her own head. "So, I suppose what a smart guy would do is to sever all ties with his friends, go on doing unspeakable things like poisoning sleeping pirates, before giving them ultimatums that will only lead to casualties no matter what?" she added, as she quickly drew her crescent dagger from underneath her hat. "Well, in that case, give me the dunce cap and put me in a corner, because I'd rather be a fool and free, than smart and with you!"

Morte sighed, as he turned away from Chris. "Then I guess we have nothing more to discuss. Vraspos, kill them." he said, as he began running for the mountain path, when Vraspos suddenly slashed at Chris with his sword, but the strike was evaded with a quick roll.

"Zugai, go get him!" Chris called, as she pulled out her double-sided dagger as well. "I'll take care of this big guy, but you've gotta catch up with Morte!" Then, she lunged at Vrapsos, slashing at the bigger man with her own weapons.

"Alright, but you'd better make sure not to die! Captain's orders!" Zugai called, before he broke into a run after Morte, his lightened skeleton giving him a speed boost good enough to be able to keep up with the bounty hunter. Soon, Zugai reached the clearing at the top of the path, where he saw that Morte had stopped running, as he was looking down at the shore far below them, where one could vaguely see Morte's own ship rest by it.

"Hmph…" Morte scoffed, as he turned his head to see Zugai stand behind him. "It seems that your crew really is loyal to you, even when all hope is lost." he said mockingly, before he threw away his own jacket, revealing that he was wearing a black undershirt underneath it, and that on his left hand, the sword that had been sticking out of it was actually connected to a gauntlet-like glove; a pata sword. "But are you really the kind of captain that can lead them on, or will the horrors of the Grand Line crush both your ambition and your crew's loyalty?"

Zugai narrowed his eyes, as he pointed Honehakaisha at Morte once more. "You'll just have to find it out the old-fashioned way, after I've kicked your ass, that is!" Then, he began spinning Honehakaisha around, before slamming it into the ground, cracking the area around him.

"Ah, so you do have a fair share of strength…" Morte said, before he pointed his left arm at Zugai. "But power alone will not win any fight. I'll show you just how dangerous it can be not to rely on anything but power, so don't blame me when you die." he said with a malicious smirk, as his eyes once again tinted with bloodlust. "Now, shall we begin?"

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**A/N: **Right, here we go with a royal rumble arc, for those who enjoy stuff like that, and if not, well that's just hard cheese, I suppose. XP But, in all seriousness, I'm a little curious as to see just which fight you want the most focus on the next chapter; Morte versus Zugai, Vraspos versus Chris, or possibly what has become of Shin and Wora? You just remember to read and review, and we'll see what becomes of it!

**YolkaEd**


	33. Manigordo's Grand Battle part 2

Slowly, Shin regained her senses. At first, all she could see was darkness, but eventually, she regained sight (blurry though it may be), as she noticed someone stand before her, but even though she couldn't discern who it was, she picked up faint voices coming from the stranger. "…ey…re yo…ke…me on, sp…" she picked up, as she finally managed to see just who stood before her; it was a man with blue hair that was short on the backside, but in front, it went down below his shoulders, with the exception of his bangs, which only reached down to just below his eyes. He also wore a black vest over his shirtless body, and a pair of black shorts and sandals compromised his remaining wardrobe. And just as she could discern this, the man smiled. "You're awake!" he said happily, as Shin felt him grab her in a tight hug. "Oh, and I thought I'd never see you again!"

Shin blinked in confusion, as she suddenly realized that she was bound, unable to move her hands and feet. "Hey, who's paying for the ropes? Get 'em offa me!" she yelled, as she began shaking her body so that the man released his grip on her.

"Ah, sorry, Shin, my bad." he laughed bashfully, before he pulled a knife from his pocket. "I'll get you out of there in a minute." Then, with a swift movement of his arm, the rope fell to the ground, and Shin was free. "There, feel any better?"

"I… I guess…" Shin muttered in response, as she rose to her feet, but she still felt weakness linger in her legs, so she nearly fell down again, but the man quickly grabbed her before she could fall, before lifting her up. "Ah, thanks… but hang on, how'd you know my name?" she asked, as she looked curiously at the man.

"Oh, that?" he said, as he scratched his head. "Erm, you wouldn't happen to let a bell ring if I mentioned the name Akira?" he asked, though all Shin could reply with was silence. "Well, it has been a while, so I can't really blame you for forgetting me… little sister."

Just as he said that, Shin's eyes widened, as she suddenly collapsed to the ground again, looking at Akira with a shocked look. "No way… Big bro, is it really you?" she whispered, as Akira merely nodded.

"Yeah, Shin, it's really me." he said, as he grabbed Shin's hand, helping her up. "It's been a while, right?"

Just as he said this, Shin wrapped her arms around him, laughing weakly as she did so. "I can't believe it… it's really you! How… how long has it been?" she asked, before she released her grip the hug.

"Well, counting from the last I saw you…" Akira muttered, as he counted on his fingers for a little while. "A whole thirteen years, if I'm not completely mistaken."

Shin sighed, as she smiled happily. "Man, I never got to thank you for what you did for me. If you hadn't helped me train, then that…" Then, she turned her head away from Akira, looking into the ground. "…_bastard_… would have thrown me out to my own death. I… I'm just so glad to see you!"

"And I'm glad to see you too, Shin." Akira responded. "And look at what it came to; you've become a full-fledged pirate! But…" Then, after a few seconds, he started laughing weakly, as he rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, my, this really has become awkward."

"Eh?" Shin questioned, before she heard a faint groan not too far from where they stood. Curious, she turned her head, only to see a knocked-out, bound and gagged Wora lying on the floor. "Wora… what is she doing there?!" she exclaimed, before she rushed to Wora's side, shaking her body. "C'mon, girl, don't die on me!"

"Relax, sis, she'll be fine." Akira said calmly, as he walked towards a light ahead of them. "She'll be out for a few days, though, but we'll be leaving soon; all four of us."

Shin looked at Akira with raised eyebrows when she heard 'four' being used as a word. "Wait… four? Akira, what are you talking…" Then, she suddenly remembered how she had seen a glimpse of Akira together with two strangers at Shigusa Island, and also how she had seen the same group yesterday, before being knocked out by… "So you're with the guy who punched me?!"

"Look, Shin, this'll make more sense later…" Akira began, as he looked towards the light, prompting Shin to follow him, just to see what he was looking at. When she saw just what he was looking down at, she gasped; they were inside a cave on the mountain, and several feet below them, they could see a pair fighting in the village, as well as another pair staring each other down on the field she and Krystal had planted traps on. Squinting, Shin suddenly realized that two of the people down there were Zugai and Chris, who were squaring off with Morte and Vraspos respectively. "…but for now, let's see how this will play out."

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Manigordo's Grand Battle part 2**

**The Man of Another World versus The Crescent Dagger**

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"I'll show you just how dangerous it can be not to rely on anything but power, so don't blame me when you die." Morte said with a malicious smirk, as his eyes once again tinted with bloodlust. "Now, shall we begin?" he added, as he allowed his left arm to go limp, smirking as Zugai was cracking his own knuckles.

"Well, if you insist… but me first!" Zugai responded, as he rushed at Morte, Honehakaisha held ready for a slash. "Now, let's see how you like this!" Then, once he got in range, he swung the giant axe at Morte, who didn't even seem to notice the huge axe. However, before he could strike home, Morte suddenly leapt into the air. "Eh?"

"How predictable… predictably foolish." Morte sighed, as he reeled his left arm back, the pata pointing straight at Zugai. Then, as he began falling down, he swiftly pushed his arm forward, forcing Zugai to block the strike aimed at his head with Honehakaisha. However, this allowed Morte to pull out one of his guns, which he immediately used to shoot at Zugai's leg, but a metallic clang rang through the air instead of the sound of flesh being pierced, as the bullet landed on the ground, dented beyond repair. "Hm, Devil Fruit powers." he sighed, as he was still airborne, fully open for an attack.

"You're damn right, it is!" Zugai responded, as he swung Honehakaisha in mid-air at Morte, but instead of becoming halved by the axe, Morte merely grabbed on to the handle, sticking to it. "What the… what are you, some kind of cat?!" Zugai groaned, as he continued swinging Honehakaisha, as if he was going to throw it like a discus.

"You might say that I am." Morte responded calmly, as the massive spinning hardly seemed to bother him. "And like any feline predator…" Then, Zugai slammed Honehakaisha into the ground, though there was absolutely no trace of Morte anywhere.

"Wha- where'd he go?!" Zugai yelled, as he looked all around him, without any trace of Morte's whereabouts being visible. Suddenly, he felt a sharp, stinging feeling in his left shoulder, and as he turned his head to see what it was, he saw a thin blade piercing it; he had been caught off guard.

"Like any feline predator…" he could hear Morte whisper, as he suddenly felt something jab itself into his back numerous times, as he began coughing blood. "I savor the kill more so than the hunt." As it turned out, Morte had gotten behind Zugai without being noticed, stabbed his pata through Zugai's shoulder, before repeatedly stabbing his kris into Zugai's back. "And obviously, the hunt is over."

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"Ha!" Sidestepping the massive Zweihänder, Chris ran at Vraspos with both of her knives ready; her crescent dagger held like brass knuckles, and her double-sided dagger held so that both of its blades were revealed. Then, she tried delivering a horizontal slash with the crescent dagger at the taller man, but he easily side-stepped it, though his height should normally work in the opposite manner.

"Hmph." Vraspos scoffed, as he suddenly held the Zweihänder in his right hand so that the blade pointed away from both him and Chris, before flying at her, still holding it in that peculiar manner. "Switchblade Cut." he muttered, as he suddenly flew past Chris, throwing the blade to his left hand, all whilst making sure it pointed at neither him or Chris. Then, Chris suddenly felt her right shoulder being cut, as she held it in pain, noticing blood dripping from it. "Hmph. I guess that either I've gotten rusty, or you evaded it."

Chris looked back at the taller man in surprise. "Evaded?" she muttered, as she knew fully well that she hadn't moved a single inch. "Damn… this guy's on a whole different level than any other mook I've dealt with." she muttered, as she quickly turned to face him. "But I'm still not gonna let you beat me!" Then, she rushed at Vraspos, spinning her double-sided dagger in her hand, before faking a slash at Vraspos with her crescent dagger, making him side-step it, so that she could slash her still-spinning dagger across his arm, leaving a bloody trail across it.

"Gnh…" Taking this lightly, Vraspos quickly threw the blade before catching it with his left hand, so that it now pointed at Chris. Not uttering a word, he stabbed the blade forward, though it met only dirt, as Chris avoided it once more. However, taking his smirk into account, he was probably planning for it to miss. "Dustcloud Slash." Then, he suddenly swung the blade in a full circle around him, as it was still embedded into the dirt, creating a dust cloud that surrounded him completely.

"What the-" Chris uttered, before shielding her eyes from the dust. "Is he gonna fight, or is he going to play games?" However, she suddenly felt a gust of wind coming at her, as she instinctively rolled away, just in time to dodge another Switchblade Cut. "The same tricks again?" she whistled lightly, before playfully sticking out her tongue. "That just won't do the trick."

"Maybe so." Vraspos responded briefly, before looking at the blade he held in his right hand. "But old tricks are at times the best." he added, as he began spinning the blade like a leek, before slowly walking towards Chris. "Destructive Scratches." Before Chris got any real time to react, Vraspos had passed right by her at lightning-fast speed, still spinning the blade. However, just before she could move, she felt her left shoulder being cut up, as more blood spilled on the ground. "Hmph… I guess I have become rusty."

"_What…_" Chris thought to herself, as she gritted her teeth together in order not to yield to her pain. "_What the hell is up with this guy's attacks?_" As she got to her feet, she glanced groggily at Vraspos, before shaking her head, regaining focus. "_C'mon, gi- eh, just focus…_" As she got back to her senses, she glanced at Vraspos, more focused now.

"Hm, I guess you're not all that weak, pup." Vraspos said in a very chilling tone, as he put his arm inside his trench coat. "Then let me give you some information I think you'd like to hear." Then, he pulled the arm out, and in it, the syringe was. "You know the poison, and this… antidote?" he said, as he spun the syringe between his fingers. "They originate from where I come from. Once you're there, it's like you can pick them."

As he kept talking, Chris' eyes followed the syringe like a hawk. "_The way he's flaunting it… he's trying to set me up._" she thought, as she tightened the grip on her double-sided dagger. "_But still… If I can knock it outta his hands, then I can take the battle to the woods._" As Vraspos closed his eyes whilst talking, Chris saw an opening, and threw the double-sided dagger at the hand; however, before it could strike home, Vraspos actually knocked it away with the needle of the syringe, shocking Chris.

"…you don't seem the type for conversation, do ya, pup?" Vraspos said in a demeaning tone, as he shook his head, before hiding the syringe in his trench coat. "I like that… and yet, I don't like you. You're a sneaky bastard; probably wanting my head, I'll bet." Then, he threw his blade to his right hand, before pulling his right arm behind him, so that the blade behind his back pointed to the left. "You're not getting it, though."

Chris grunted in response, as she cracked her own neck, before placing the crescent dagger between her middle and index fingers, making it resemble a claw. "I only want that syringe; my crew depends on it." she replied, as placed her left foot further back, before making scratching motions with her hands, like a cat.

"Tsch, you really seem to like your crew." Vraspos sighed, before reaching his hand into his trench coat. "But you're not seriously thinking of turning down Morte's offer? The man knows what the best is, and right now, you're better off working with him instead of against him."

"As I said, I prefer to be a fool and free." Chris replied, as she licked her lips. "But you seem to fall more into the category of fool and with him, so you're not one to talk. I can only guess that you helped us back at Shigusa because your boss pointed at Card Shark and told you to fetch."

Vraspos scoffed, as he butted his free hand against his chin, cracking his knuckles in the process. "We're still snappy, I see. I'll have you know, though, Card Shark is a Revolutionary, so I'd have gone after him regardless of any pointing. But tell me, why and how are you gonna win over me, with those injuries plaguing you?"

Chris shrugged briefly. "Well, as for why; captain's orders." she said, before preparing to run at Vraspos. "And as for how… I'm gonna cut your goddamn head off, see if that works." As she said this, Vraspos grinned briefly, before the two rushed at each other again.

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"They're pretty intense, I'd have to say." Akira said neutrally, as he watched the two fights with increased interest. "That guy's sure holding his own against Vraspos, but as for the Orthopedic…" Then, he looked down at the field Morte was fighting on, before shaking his head. "Not so good. But hey, this is Manigordo we're talking about, right?"

Shin looked at the different battles as well, though with more distress than interest. "How the hell… Of all the guys I've seen Zugai fight, he's… different. Akira, can't you do something to stop him?"

Akira shrugged, as he walked back into the cave. "No can do, really. Once Morte sets his sights on something, he never lets go until he acquires it perfectly. That's just the kinda guy he is, so you can't blame him that much."

Shin looked at her brother with a disgusted look, before looking back down at Zugai's fight, which was going progressively worse for her captain. "So that's it?" she suddenly said, as she turned around to face her brother. "You became so desperate to find me after 13 years that you forgot to speak for yourself?"

As soon as he heard that, Akira sighed. "Sister, if there's anything I could sacrifice just to see you, then-"

"Then what?" Shin suddenly snapped, as she walked around her brother so that she faced him. "Then you become a sock puppet for some sick bastard that attacks your own kin? Is that really what mother would want you to become?!" However, just as she finished her sentence, Akira suddenly grabbed her face, looking at her with great anger in his eyes.

"Don't even THINK about mentioning that woman before me, Shin." he said coldly. "You may have your problems with father, but I'll never forgive her for just letting you go without any other chances. She can just lie in coma for the remainder of her days, for all I care!"

As he said this, he let go of Shin, before turning away from her. "She's… in a coma?" she asked, as she considered approaching her brother, but decided against it. "So, you don't care, do you? The woman that bore both you and me to life… you don't care if she dies?"

Suddenly, she noticed Akira suddenly pointing the knife directly at her face, startling her, as Akira now seemed even angrier than before, a stark contrast to his usual self. "What did I say about mentioning her?" he whispered, before dropping the knife, and walking back to the cave entrance, watching the fights.

Shin blinked a few times, before looking down at the knife. "So… that's it, then?" she muttered, as she crouched down to pick up the knife. "You know, you've changed in thirteen years." she added, as she grabbed hold of it. "I think you've even forgotten who you're supposed to be."

"Enough!" Akira yelled without looking back at Shin. "Morte's considered killing you, so don't do anything funny, or I can't protect you!"

Shin blinked at this, before looking at the knife in her hand. "Protect me… Well, I guess you've forgotten something." she said, as she looked back at Wora, before smirking. "I'm a pirate, so I need no protection." Then, she quickly rushed towards Wora, cutting her free of her ropes and gag.

Hearing this, Akira suddenly turned around, seeing what Shin was doing. "Stop! Don't do this, sister; you're going to regret it." Then, he began walking towards her, and once she noticed this, she began shaking Wora's body.

"Wora, come on, wake up, we need some help here!" she said, as she continued shaking Wora, but to no avail, as Akira only got closer. "Come on, wake up!" she said more demandingly, as she began rubbing her hands across Wora's face, before she was picked up by Akira. "Hey, let go of me!"

"Sister, I hate to do this…" Akira sighed, as he reeled his fist behind him, looking sternly at Shin. "But you're going to have to go to bed again." However, just before he could knock out Shin, he felt a spark zap his hand, making him drop Shin. "What the?"

_I wish I had an angel… for one moment of love…_

The singing voice began making Akira nervous, as he looked around the cave, before another spark shocked his arm. "Gnh… what did you do, Shin?!"

_I wish I had your angel… your Virgin Mary undone…_

"I think…" Shin whispered, as she began smirking. "I think I unleashed the beast."

_I'm in love with my lust… Burning angel wings to dust…_

Suddenly, Akira spun around, only to receive a bolt of electricity head-first, sending him skidding a few feet away. "Oh no, you didn't…" he muttered, as he noticed Shin suddenly crawling away from him. "Sister, come back, that's dangerous!

"_**I WISH I HAD YOUR ANGEL TONIGHT!!!!!!!**_" The singing, as well as this mighty roar, was shown to actually come from a revived Wora, who was now bursting with electricity, most of which was shooting straight at Akira, who was almost literally smoking.

"Sister…" he managed to mutter, as he stretched his arm out to Shin, but the mighty electric bursts only forced him to be pushed backwards.

"YOU LIKE SMACKING YOUNG WOMEN, EH?!" Wora called, as she gathered up electricity in her palms, eventually forming two orbs of electricity. "THEN I GUESS IT'S TIME TO SMACK THAT BITCH UP!!!" Then, she hurled both orbs at Akira, sending thousands of volts surging through his body, before the pressure of the impact actually launched him out of the cave.

"Bro!" Shin called, as she shielded herself from the electricity, until it began dying out, at which point she ran towards the entrance, searching for any clues if Akira survived or not. "Bro… if you're alive, then make sure to get a voice of your own, before you decide to meet me again." she muttered, when she suddenly heard someone collapse. "Oh sh- Wora!" Then, she quickly ran back into the cave, immediately seeing that Wora was knocked out on the floor, a few sparks emitting from her body. "Hey, you okay?"

"Heh…" Wora uttered, as she looked weakly at Shin for a moment. "I guess I thunderstruck that guy good, eh?" she laughed, as she suddenly winced in pain, her grin turning into a grimace.

"Hey, don't strain yourself, Wora." Shin said reassuringly, as she held Wora's hands in comfort. "You just focus on getting better, and I'll look after ya." she added, as both she and Wora chuckled a little.

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As Akira was launched from the cave, both Chris and Vraspos, who were now locking their blades together, noticed him fly over them, crashing somewhere down on the shore, far away from Howling Moon. "What the hell happened up there?" Vraspos asked himself, but that moment of weakness was just what Chris needed, as she rolled underneath the Zweihänder, before stabbing the crescent dagger into Vraspos' shoulder, forcing the larger man to drop his sword.

"Gotcha." Chris whistled, as she suddenly jumped into the air, planting her free hand on Vraspos' head, as she twisted the blade around his neck, carving a small path through his coat. However, at that point, Vraspos quickly grabbed her, and threw her off his head, though she landed on the ground without any problems whatsoever.

"Gnh…" Vraspos grunted, as he held his neck in pain, glaring at Chris. Then, suddenly, he began laughing. "And what happened to cutting my head off?" he laughed mockingly, though Chris only rubbed his blood off on her jacket.

"I'm getting to that part." she said bluntly, as she looked at Vraspos. "But I got what I really aimed for." Then, as time seemed to slow down, she saw that Vraspos' coat was loosened, as she had detached it from its collar, leaving his arms the only thing keeping the coat on him. "If I get that coat off you, I can snag the syringe, right?" she added with a grin.

However, at that point, Vraspos began laughing, as Chris noted that even with his hat shadowing his eyes, he was now looking at her with a glare that screamed bloody murder. "Pup, if you wanted me to strip, then you could have asked!" Then, he grabbed the coat, before suddenly throwing it off him, revealing to Chris the most shocking thing she had witnessed; underneath the coat, he was wearing nothing on his upper body, except for a pair of wings that sat proudly on his back.

"Wait… those wings…" she muttered, as she suddenly put two and two together. "Wait, please don't tell me that-"

"What, that I come from the sky?" Vraspos laughed, as he slowly approached Chris, as she suddenly noticed that he was holding a Marine-style rifle. "That my race is that of the warrior race, Shandians? That my home, where both the poison and antidote come from, is a Sky Island?" Then, he suddenly stopped not too far from Chris, glaring daggers with her. "In that case, sorry to crush your hopes, pup." he laughed, as he suddenly slammed the butt of the rifle into Chris' face, sending her flying away from him, before he suddenly aimed at her, pulling the trigger, as blood splattered over his face. "But this dose is all there is!"

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"You know, I don't know about you…" Morte sighed, as he tapped his chin for a moment. "…but after a good kill, I always get very thirsty." Then, he moved his finger to his cheek, which had a small droplet of blood on it, which he wiped away. "Though I don't drink blood; that is just plain unnecessary." As he said this, he kicked at Zugai's body, which was lying face-down in a pool of blood, both his back and left shoulder bleeding. "So I do hope that you have some water on your ship, because I think I'll need it more than you."

As he said this, Zugai suddenly shot an arm at Morte's leg, grabbing hold of it, as he squeezed it as best he could. "Don't you…" he muttered, as he looked weakly up at Morte. "Even think about raiding my ship!"

Morte smirked, as he licked some blood off his pata, before spitting it out of his mouth. "Oh, I won't raid your ship. I'll be raiding the ship of the man I've recently laid to rest. Does that seem fair to you?" he said with a cold tone, before breaking into a calm laughter.

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**A/N: **Alright, I went through some thoughts on how to do this, and this was eventually what I came up with. I do hope it falls in taste, as the way this chapter could have gone was the primary reason for a later update. So, I do hope to see you for the next chapter of this brawl! What will become of our heroes? I decide, and you guess.

**YolkaEd**


	34. Manigordo's Grand Battle part 3

Onboard the Howling Moon, Maria was watching over the comatose bodies of her crewmembers, whilst sighing at their misfortune. Ignacio had decided that it would have been best if Maria had some time alone, and as a result, had left for a stroll along the shores of the island. "I just hope that Zugai and Chris are okay…" she whispered, as she now looked down at Nampu, who seemed quite relaxed, despite being in a coma.

"_Eh? You think I'm cute, or something?" _His voice still rang through her ears, as she remembered a bit of conversation the two had before ending up on Atsumari. _"Well, ergh… that's a bit of a problem, right there."_

"_Wh-why? Is it because I'm… a Fishman?"_

"_What? No, of course not! It's just that… I'm gay." _Maria smiled as she remembered the brief awkward silence between them, before they both broke into laughter. Sighing, Maria then looked over at KC and Krystal, who she had placed together, because she felt that they fit like that.

"…_and that's how we stopped The Wicked Knight. I don't like to brag, but I did do most of the work, you know." _She could hear KC's voice clearly as well, as if he was actually talking to her, before almost feeling the light knock he received on his head by Krystal. _"Hey, hey, I was just joking around! You three helped, you know!"_

"_Yeah, and who was the kid we had to rescue by sending in the gay guy?" _Krystal's voice echoed, as Maria remembered how the three of them had laughed, before being chased by Nampu for allegedly hampering on sexualities, though he was aware that Krystal meant no offense with that. Then, she looked over at Jin, who was actually drooling a little whilst in a coma.

"_So you don't know how much percentage of water the Fishman body consists of?" _she heard Jin ask curiously in her head, before shaking her head both in response, and in grief. _"Well, I could find out, but that'd be quite a mess, really. Well, I think we'd best get back to fis-shaaaa… and let's get some food!" _Then, she heard herself laugh at Jin's feeble attempt at avoiding something that could be perceived as offensive, even though she wouldn't have thought much of it at all.

Finally, she looked over at Craigmirra, but she seemed to be in more pain than the others, probably due to her younger body not able to handle the poisoning as well. _"You know, Maria, you're really working yourself out for us. I mean, you've been helping each of us like an ant working for its queen, and you seem to like helping out, as well." _Maria blinked, as she remembered the conversation she had with Craigmirra just moments before arriving at Atsumari.

"Everyone…" she whispered softly, as she held her hands together, closing her eyes as she lowered her head so her forehead rested on her hands. "Please… don't die, anyone of you…" However, the sound of a door being forced open broke her from her thoughts, as she spun around to see Ignacio in the doorway, heaving for his breath. "What… is something wrong?"

"_Non a toda_!" Ignacio replied, as he suddenly revealed that he was holding a syringe in his hands, it containing a purple liquid. "Whilst I was walking, I stumbled upon a _cráter _in the sand, and in it, I found this! This is the _antídoto _to the poison!"

As soon as she heard this, Maria suddenly brightened up, before running towards Ignacio, so she could inspect the syringe up-close. "This… is it?" she said in awe, as she poked it slightly. "Then… maybe Zugai or Chris beat one of them!"

"That may be so." Ignacio replied, as he hid the syringe underneath his shirt, before looking over at the comatose pirates. "But there are still two of those _diablos _left, and I doubt Manigordo to be the one down."

As he said this, Maria's smile faded, as she looked sorrowfully into the ground. "But… if they keep on fighting, they'll probably… but if I could… I…" Then, she gritted her teeth, struggling to keep her tears in check, so that she wouldn't overreact.

Ignacio frowned as he saw Maria fight the tears, before placing his hand on her shoulder. "_Señorita_,some times in life, mankind needs to do what they feel is right, though their _derecho _may lie someplace else. Tell me; what do you feel is right at this moment?"

Maria blinked, as she looked up at Ignacio, before throwing a glance behind her at her crew. "I… I feel that…" Then, she turned back to face Ignacio, smiling slightly. "I feel that we should do whatever we can to help my crew!"

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Manigordo's Grand Battle part 3**

**The Measurement of a True Monster**

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Chris blinked, as she felt something wet crawl over her fingers, and though she found it mildly disturbing, she was unable to move; her shoulders and left leg were bleeding, as she was lying in a small pool of blood. However, it was not the injuries that were the major cause for her lack of movement; the revelation that Vraspos came from a Sky Island, making the antidote resident on his home island unattainable by normal means, had shocked her. "Damn… talk about running out of luck." she muttered, as she ignored the pain searing through her.

"Hm. I really AM getting rusty." she heard Vraspos comment, as the larger man approached her, kneeling down beside her, though she looked away with a slight pout on her face. "But you're still alive, at least. If I were you, I'd reconsider Morte's offer, pup."

Chris spat out some blood, as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure." she muttered in a sarcastic tone, as she tried moving her hands, when she noticed that she had dropped her crescent dagger after Vraspos shot her. "_Goddamn it, that's just my luck…_" she thought in annoyance, before looking at Vraspos again. "Say, I'm wondering just what you'd do if I either accepted or denied that offer at this point." she asked, aiming to buy some time; she still had one last ace up her sleeves.

"Hm…" Vraspos rubbed his chin, as he stood up, before turning away from Chris. "Well, if you were to accept, then I would do whatever I could to fix your injuries… or maybe not, seeing as you cut my neck like that." As he kept on talking, Chris attempted to regain control of her hands, as she focused all her remaining strength on pushing herself from the ground. "Then again, if you really were with us, I could have you help Morte fend off the Orthopedic, get up to the hostages in place of Morte… Now, if you denied it, however…"

Finally, Chris could move her hands so that pushing herself from the ground became possible, and she slowly did so, mainly due to not wanting Vraspos to catch her, but also because of her injuries. "_C'mon, just a little more…_" she thought, as she looked briefly over at Vraspos, who still seemed too busy listening to himself ramble on about how he was going to kill her if she refused the offer. "_Now's my chance!_"

"…and finally, I'd take your lifeless/limbless body and throw it to a pack of hungry sharks." he finished, as he clapped his hands together, looking to the sky, before beginning to turn around. "So in short, if you accept, I'll get your ass in gear for working with us, and if you refuse, I'll-" Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly felt something cut his stomach, as he noticed that Chris was on her feet. "Oh, you son of a bitch." he muttered, as he held a hand over his stomach to stop the bleeding.

"Oh, ow, you burned me." Chris replied with a sarcastic tone, as she spun two peculiar weapons in both her hands. "In all seriousness, though, you could have come up with something more original." she added, as the weapons she held were revealed to be completely identical; two crescents made out of steel crossing, producing four curved, clawlike points, one of them being bloodied; the main blade. She was holding them by the wrapped middle of the lengthened crescent, with the other one acting as a hand guard. "These are my Deer Horn Knives. I got them from some bounty hunter before I joined the Cross Skulls." she said, as she admired the way the knives were constructed.

Vraspos growled, as he picked up his Zweihänder again, pointing it at Chris. "So you got a set of fancy daggers. Big deal." he said in a sarcastic tone, before reeling his right hand back, the sword following suite. "With those injuries, you can barely stand." he added, as he looked at Chris' leg; still bleeding quite nastily from his shot, as it even quivered slightly.

Despite this, however, Chris merely smirked, as she spun her knives in her hands. "And yet even with that big, nasty blade, you haven't put me to rest yet!" she said, as she playfully stuck out her tongue. "I'm beginning to think that your fixation on compensation led to you getting a dull blade."

Just as she said this, Vraspos almost literally jumped at her, as he yelled in rage at this snide remark. However, as he swung his blade at Chris, she easily trapped the blade between her two knives (though she had to strain herself to do so), before pulling Vraspos and his sword right by her, making him crash into the pool of her own blood. "Gnh… acrobat tricks will not save you!" he growled, as he got up again, his body covered in blood, as was Chris'.

"Maybe not." she answered, as she got ready to dash at Vraspos. "But they can sure as hell help me kick the ever-loving shit out of you!"

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Zugai growled, as he squeezed his hand as best as he could around Morte's leg, but the bounty hunter didn't seem to notice one bit. "If you even think about raiding my ship for the slightest second, I'm going to use your bones to make a punching bag, which I'll smash with your lifeless body!" he spat, as Morte noted how angry Zugai grew.

"Ooh, I seem to have offended you." Morte replied with an apathetic tone to his voice. "I'm sorry, do you want an apology? I think I'll write one for your obituary, if you don't mind." Then, he began kicking the leg Zugai was holding, as he sighed. "Now, come on, let go of my leg."

However, Zugai merely grunted, as he was now squeezing it even tighter than before, which forced Morte to grunt in pain. "Gnh… I'm serious, that's starting to get annoying." he muttered, as he suddenly stabbed his pata into Zugai's hand, forcing the pirate to stop squeezing too hard. "Now, are we going to be nice?"

Zugai growled, as he looked up at Morte with a hateful glare, before lowering his gaze. Then, slowly, he let go of Morte's leg, as the bounty hunter chuckled. "Good, that's very nice of you." he said, as he looked to the sky, not noticing that Zugai had clenched his hand into a fist, pointing it at Morte's leg. "You know, for a second there, you really had me thinking that you were going to rip my leg apart, or something. But, I guess even you can't be so stupid to fight the power in such bad sha-" Just then, the sound of flesh being pierced stopped Morte's monologue, as he closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in pain.

"Bad shape? Me?" Zugai replied, as he smirked cockily whilst looking up at Morte. "Apparently, you've never seen me in bad shape, because this is nothing!" Just then, Zugai pulled his hand away from Morte's leg, leaving the bounty hunter to create some space between them, as he looked at his leg in pain; three holes were located just a little over his foot, where blood was now pouring out.

"Hrm… I guess this is due to your powers." Morte said bluntly, as he opened the bag hanging from his belt, before rummaging through it. "I assume that your Devil Fruit involves your bones in some fashion. Tell me, did you pierce me by extending your fingernails, or something?" he added, as he pulled out a few band-aids, which he glued over his wounds.

"Actually… no." Zugai replied, as he was now pushing himself off the ground, trembling slightly due to the amount of blood he had lost in this short fight. "Whilst I have full control over my skeleton, as well as other skeletons or bones in the world, I can't artificially increase its length." When he finally got up, he spat a few drops of blood from his mouth, as he looked over at Honehakaisha, which had a slight red tint to it now. "Since I'm having trouble fighting you with power, as you're pointing out, you're free to pick just what you want me to fight with."

Morte looked at Zugai with a neutral, yet slightly amused look. "So you're deciding your fate on what weapon I want you to fight with?" he said dryly, as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well, let me see what you have, first."

Nodding, Zugai closed his eyes, as he removed the glove on his left hand, revealing his skeletal one, before moving it behind his neck, reaching for something back there, whilst his right hand was now clenched into a fist. Then, Morte noticed that Zugai's right hand was convulsing violently, as Zugai was gritting his teeth in pain. Then, from out of his knuckles, three claws suddenly shot out, all of them bloodied, though not from Zugai's blood. "Ah, so that was what you stabbed me with." Morte said dryly, as he noticed that Zugai had grabbed something with his left hand.

Just then, Zugai pulled out his own spine from his back, as his body suddenly hunched over, its support lost with a single pull. Then, as he looked up at Morte, Zugai whipped the spine in a most spectacular fashion, which even made Morte clap his hands together mockingly. "Alright, your call…" Zugai muttered, as he lifted his right hand so that Morte could see the claws. "Is it gonna be these?" Then, he lifted his left hand, to show off his spine. "Or this?"

Morte made a humming noise, as he rubbed his right hand against his cheek. "Well, that whip seems interesting, but…" Then, he pointed at Morte's right hand. "I'll take my chances on those. You might have a slight winning chance, that way."

Nodding, Zugai took the spine back to his neck, before he began pushing it into his own body again, all whilst he slowly got up into a proper standing position, at which point the spine was back where it belonged. Then, he grunted in pain, as his left hand now began convulsing as well. However, this time around, Morte could see that his index, middle and ring fingers actually pressed themselves further into the skeleton, sliding past the palm and wrist bones, before they emerged from where Zugai's knuckles would normally be, if his left hand actually had any flesh. "Farankutsume." he muttered, as he looked at his hands, both sporting three claws now.

"Hm." Morte scoffed, as he pointed his left arm at Zugai again. "Just so you know, even with a slight chance, you're destined to die sooner or later by my hand." he said, as he cracked his neck, before licking his lips. "Your turn first?"

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"GAH!" Vraspos held his arm in pain, as it was bleeding quite nastily, due to Chris cutting him there. "Guh… you're seriously thinking that'd stop me, pup?" Then, he flew at Chris again, holding his sword over his head, just as Chris began running at him as well. Then, he brought down his sword, just as Chris rolled past it, cutting Vraspos' leg as she passed him.

Growling, Vraspos spun his blade, whilst it was in contact with the ground, creating a dust screen again. Then, Chris suddenly received all the dust in her face, as Vraspos was now spinning his sword in preparation for another round of Destructive Scratches. However, this time, Chris ran straight at him, despite having the dust blown at her, and slashed both of her knives at Vraspos, just as he was about to cut her with his attack, resulting in their weapons locking together.

However, Chris left the Shandian no quarter, as she slid her left Deer Horn Knife against the Zweihänder, eventually coming in contact with Vraspos' arm, cutting him there, before rolling away from the blade, followed by her stabbing the knives into Vraspos' leg.

"Gah…" Before Chris could react, however, Vraspos quickly spun his sword so that its flat side struck Chris, sending her flying away from him, accidentally leaving one of her knives in his leg. "You fight me like some kind of attack dog, pup. You sure don't disappoint." he muttered, as he pulled the knife out of his leg, before throwing it towards Chris, who caught it with ease.

"Well, I guess it fits, because you fight like a bitch." Chris replied with a smirk, before she prepared to run at Vraspos again, when she stumbled, crashing into the ground. "_No, no, damnit, why did it have to be now?!_" she thought to herself, as she tried moving her leg, but to no avail. "Damn leg, get to work!"

"Hmph, seems like your injuries finally caught up to you." Vraspos said cynically, as he dropped his sword, before picking up his rifle. "Well, it has been fun, but this time, I'm ending this charade." Then, he aimed the rifle at Chris, who glared at him with a hateful look in her eyes. "Hey, no hard feelings, pup. After all, you brought this onto yourself."

"_Desaparecer_!" Just as Vraspos pulled the trigger, a long piece of cloth flew out from the woods, as the bullet crashed into it, without coming out on the other side, surprising both Chris and Vraspos. "_Agradecer mi Dios, _I made it just in time." Then, both bounty hunter and pirate alike looked towards the woods, as they saw Ignacio emerge from the thicket, holding his arms out towards Vraspos.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Vraspos called, as he looked from Ignacio to Chris, before looking back at Ignacio. "Answer me, or I'll-"

"_Parcial Momia_." Suddenly, cloth shot out from both of Ignacio's arms, as they quickly bound Vraspos from his stomach and below, though he didn't go for the arms. Then, slowly, Vraspos' back began bending backwards. "I'll break your back if you even think about pulling that _gatillo_, so drop the gun."

"Guh…" Vraspos grunted, as his back was slowly getting bent below 45 degrees, as the sound of bones cracking were actually audible. "Do you think… that this'll stop me?" he grunted, as he attempted to pull the trigger on his revolver, though the pain shooting through his back was simply forcing him to not pull it.

"I'll only warn you once more…" Ignacio said, as he closed his eyes. "DROP. THE DAMN. _CARABINA_." he added, as Vraspos looked at him with a maddened look in his eyes, before he grudgingly dropped the rifle to the ground. "Good man." Ignacio said, as the cloth around Vraspos disappeared, leaving the bounty hunter to drop down, exhausted from his battle.

"Ignacio…" Chris muttered, as she tried pushing herself to her feet, but she was simply too tired to do so. "Guh… thanks, I guess." she added, as she looked over at her defeated adversary. "But I had him cornered."

"_Cualquier le rezar_." Ignacio said sarcastically, as he walked over to Chris, helping her get on her feet. "I suggest we'd get his _inyectar_, before going back to your ship."

"But hang on a sec…" Chris muttered, as she looked at the Spaniard curiously. "Whatever gave you the incentive to come help me out?"

Ignacio shrugged, as he helped Chris get to Vraspos' trench coat, where the syringe still lied. "Well, let's just say that your _sirvienta _got tired of waiting for you. She's probably headed for Manigordo and _Ortopédico _right now…"

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Zugai quickly raised his right arm to block a sword strike from Morte, before thrusting his left arm forward, in an attempt to skewer Morte; however, the bounty hunter merely bent his head so that the claws passed just over him, before pulling out his kris, stabbing it at Zugai, who just barely blocked it with his right hand's claws. "You're not too shabby with this new form."

"Heh, thanks." Zugai replied, as he began pushing Morte away. "Other people usually freak out when they see this; calling me a monster, and everything." Upon hearing this, Morte suddenly broke into laughter.

"A monster? You?" he asked, before he jumped backwards, creating space between him and Zugai. "Kid, let me tell you something; even with claws like that, you have no idea about the true definition of that term. Believe me when I say that I know it." Then, he lunged himself at Zugai again, stabbing his pata at the pirate, this time actually striking home, though it didn't do anything except for bothering him.

"And I suppose you've seen worse monsters than me?" Zugai replied, before slashing repeatedly at Morte, who actually had to use some effort to block the strikes this time, rather than effortlessly dodging them. Eventually, one of the claws barely made a scratch to Morte's face, annoying the bounty hunter, as he struck his pata at Zugai, who blocked it with both sets of claws.

"Got you." Morte said with a smirk, as he suddenly pulled out one of his guns, before firing it at Zugai, though the bullet only bounced off Zugai's hardened bones. "You're trapped now, Orthopedic. You can't keep your claws extended whilst your skeleton is hardened for very long, can you?" he said, as he pulled the trigger again, seeing Zugai wince in slight pain. "Now, here's what will happen; either you retract your claws, thus letting me cut you down…" Another gunshot rang through the air, as Zugai looked like he had the wind knocked out of him. "…or I break through your defense with my guns, killing you." Another gunshot, as Zugai gritted his teeth, informing Morte that one more shot would seal the last nail in the coffin…

Then, all of a sudden, Morte felt something come in contact with his face, but the contact was of the "slam-a-leg-into-your-face-in-a-painful-manner" variant, as he was launched away from Zugai, crashing into the ground. Looking confused at what happened, Zugai looked at the attacker, to reveal that it was none other than Maria. "Hey, what just happened?" he asked, as he noted that Maria's look on her face when she kicked Morte was actually quite murderous.

However, just as he pointed this out, Maria's serious look dropped like a rock, as she looked between Morte and Zugai quite flustered. "Oh, I'm so- I mean, that is to say, I- b-but I had to- and you were…" she rambled, as she eventually held her head in frustration. "Oh, I don't know what to say!"

"Hey, don't say anything." Zugai said with a shrug, as he looked over at Maria with a smile. "I just thought that it was pretty damn cool." As he said this, Maria smiled sheepishly, until they heard Morte groan, as he stood up again, before he broke out laughing.

"See? See what I mean?" he said, as he pointed at Maria, before stumbling. "That girl, she's more of a monster than you are." he added with a chuckle, as Maria took a step back in shock at the possibly racial curse he threw out, though she wasn't aware of what context he was using the word in. "But that is to say, even like that, she doesn't come near the real monsters in the world."

Zugai frowned, as he stepped past Maria for a moment. "And just what kind of people are like that, then?" he asked, but this made Morte cackle even more.

"Why, people like me, of course!" Morte said, as he hunched his back, before his body began convulsing, all whilst he laughed. Then, Zugai and Maria saw that his body got slimmer, as his skin became slightly reddish brown, with some fur growing on his body, eventually leaving some black spots and rosettes there as well. However, the most surprising thing was that from his rear, a black-banded tail was sprouting out, coming out of nowhere. Then, his ears turned into what seemed to be cat ears, as whiskers sprouted from the sides of his mouth, before his eyes turned into a more cat-like variant. "I'll show you…" Then, he suddenly vanished from sight, surprising both pirates. "Just how terrifying a monster can be."

Then, Zugai suddenly felt something being pushed through his stomach, as he saw that Morte had gotten right next to him, before pushing his pata into Zugai's abdomen, all without being spotted. Before he could react, however, Morte suddenly used his right hand to grab his kris, before stabbing it at Maria, who barely managed to avoid it, though it managed to cut the sleeve of her maid's dress. "Wha… what kind of power is that?" Maria asked in a scared tone, as Morte only grinned wickedly at the pirates.

"This is the true face of a monster…" he said, as he pulled the pata out of Zugai, who quickly got a small distance away from Morte. "The Neko Neko no Mi… Model Ocelot." Then, he suddenly began cackling like a madman, which really was a frightening sight.

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**A/N: **Okay, we're going through with this at a quick pace, eh? Well, anyhoot, the Farankutsume is, as you may have guessed, a shout-out to Wolverine's powers (if you've seen X-Men, this should be self-explanatory), and the final paragraph of Morte laughing… well, just picture Yagami Light laughing like a mad-man if he was a anthromorphic cat. Alrighty, just remember to read and review, and I'll see whether or not the next chapter's the end of this arc or not!

**YolkaEd**


	35. Manigordo's Grand Battle part 4

"Aah, I feel fresh in a bagel!" Wora exclaimed, as she was now standing upright, stretching her limbs outward. "I feel like I could lift a hundred pounds per hour now!" she added, just before she nearly collapsed to her knees, her stomach growling. "Aah, Wora's hungry now…"

"Hey, hey, don't get too lively, Wora." Shin said, as she helped Wora get back on her feet. "You still need to take a break, you know…" Suddenly, both of them froze, as they heard a bone-chilling laughter come from outside. "Just… who the hell was that?" she asked, as she went towards the entrance of the cave, with Wora in tow.

As they got to the entrance of the cave, they could see on the field that both Zugai and Maria were now facing a transformed Morte, who was the one laughing like a madman. "Holy cowbells, that's one crazy bitch!" Wora exclaimed, before she stopped herself, scratching her chin. "Well, maybe it's not a bitch, as much as it is a pu-"

"It's a guy." Shin quickly shot in, as she looked at the cackling bounty hunter with an intrigued look. "He musta' eaten a Zoan, I'd reckon… just like that old hag."

"Look, I don't care if he's a dog or a cat; I just want to rock him like a hurricane!" Wora called, as she began rubbing her hands together, but Shin quickly grabbed her arms, preventing her from doing so. "Hey, what gives?"

"I hate to burst your bubble, Wora…" Shin said, as she looked seriously at Wora for a moment. "…but I'm right next to you, and I don't feel like going out like my brother did, thank you." she added, before she looked down at the field they stood on, as she suddenly realized just where they were standing. "Wait a minute… Wora, forget I said anything! Try getting either Zugai's or Maria's attention, and then you'll…" Then, she leaned in against Wora's ear, whispering a specific order for the Revolutionary. Nodding, Wora quickly began rubbing her hands furiously against each other, as Shin got away from Wora, just as Wora was surrounded by electrical sparks, whilst her hair began standing up on its own. "_I just hope that you guys will notice this…_"

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Manigordo's Grand Battle part 4**

**An Orthopedic's True Strength**

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After a long while of uneasiness from both Zugai and Maria, Morte's laughter subsided, as the bounty hunter finally composed himself, looking at the two pirates with calmness. "Now, we have a fresh fighter, a worn-out captain, and me, who has only received a few scratches and a kick. I think that the advantage lies with me." he said, as he again licked blood off his pata, before spitting it out.

Zugai glared at the bounty hunter, before looking over at Maria. "Hey, if you're going to fight him, be careful." he said briefly, as he looked down at his skeletal claws emerging from his hands. "He's armed, and so am I, but you seem to lack a weapon. It's gonna be tough without one, you know."

"W-well…" Maria began, as she glanced quickly over at Morte, who seemed more fixated on Zugai than her. "I think, if you had a Bo, or a pair of nunchucks, or something along those lines, then I'd…" Before she could say anything else, Zugai suddenly pulled out his own spine, causing the fishwoman to scream in fear.

"Maria, calm down!" Zugai called, as his upper body was now leaning forward, making it seem like he was hunching. "It's just my spine; you should be able to use it like a whip." he said, before he handed the long bone over to Maria, who could only grab hold of it after a short while, her hands still trembling at the sight of it.

"Are you two quite finished, yet?" Morte called, as he was scratching his left arm lightly. "The sooner I can get you called in, the quicker I can receive my paycheck from Steel Scythe." As he said this name, both Zugai and Maria looked at him curiously, Zugai with curiosity, and Maria with fear.

"Steel Scythe?" Zugai muttered, as he scratched his head. "I keep hearing this name… what's so special about it, anyway?" Then, he heard someone fall to the ground, as Maria was now sitting on the ground, looking at Morte with shock. "Maria? What's wrong?"

"Ste… Steel… Steel Scythe?" she stuttered, as she held her head in panic. "No… that man… he's an associate with my… Just what does HE want with us?!" she called, as Morte chuckled lightly.

"Ah, now that's a funny story." Morte began, as he pulled out one of his guns, before spinning it on his right pinky finger. "You see, after that spectacular show on Shigusa Island- By the way, Orthopedic, I enjoyed your performance; a little amateurish, but not bad for your first time…" he began, as Zugai only gave him an estranged look. "Well, anyway, I was approached by this man when me and my associates were headed off the island…

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"_Hey, who do you think you are, coming around and sitting on my ship like you own it." Morte said irritably, as he pulled his kris half-way out of its sheath, glaring at the stranger. "Unless you have a reason to bug me, get lost, will you? What's your name, anyway?"_

_The stranger merely grunted, as he looked at his own hand. "My name is Etels Tyches, and I came here to seek the finest bounty hunter this sea had to offer, in order to give him a lead on a certain pirate crew. And he's standing right in front of me… isn't he, Morte del Astuto, also known as Manigordo?"_

_Morte eyed Etels curiously, as his grip around the kris tightened, before he sheathed it once more. "A lead, you say? Tell me more."_

_Etels looked away from his hand, befor__e his lips broke into a smirk. Then, he suddenly jumped off the mast of Mouse Trap, landing directly in front of Morte without any problems. "Good. Now, if you've read the newspapers, then you've certainly heard of this new pirate crew that has become infamous for defeating the Wicked Knight, correct?" However, before he could continue, a huge Zweihänder was pointed towards him, as Vraspos was now glaring at Etels angrily. "Oh? And who are you?"_

"_Morte, I don't like the looks of this guy." Vraspos said with an intimidating tone. "I don't think we ought to listen to this guy; it'll end up with him backstabbing us, I'm sure of it." Just then, however, Etels placed his hand on the blade, as he actually began bending it so that it faced Vraspos, before bending it more and more so that it went closer to the bounty hunter. "See? I called him out on it, and now he's going to kill us!"_

"_Vraspos, stop being such a baby." Morte sighed, as he suddenly pulled out his kris. "Sorry, but I'd hate for you to kill my partner." he muttered, as he stabbed the kris at Etels' hand, but once he hit the hand, it made a metallic-like clank, and the dagger was stopped from piercing it. "What…"_

"_Be ascertained, Manigordo, that I possess powers beyond even your comprehension." Then, he suddenly widened his eyes, as he let go of the Zweihänder, which immediately bounced back into its original position. "No, wait… my powers are great, yet not divided from the human mind's imagination." Noting the confused looks from the bounty hunters, Etels composed himself. "Now, anyway, as I was saying…"_

"_You're talking about the Cross Skull Pirates?" Morte asked, as he scratched his forehead. "If you're so strong, why bother with small fry like that? It's not like they're the Blackmouth Pirates, or anything."_

"_You're forgetting something, my dear Manigordo…" Etels said, as he searched for something within his cloak. "The Second Pirate King started out just like that "small fry", as you refer to them as such." Then, he pulled out a small statuette of Monkey D. Luffy from his cloak. "And look where that got him; one of the world's most famed pirates, said to be invincible…" Then, he suddenly got a maddened look on his eyes, as he crushed the statuette in his hand. "But no man is invincible. And I want you to show that to this 'Demon's Orthopedic'."_

_Morte looked with fascination at Etels, as he scratched his chin. "Really, now… and what's in it for us?" he said, as he noted that Etels immediately calmed himself._

"_The current bounty on the crew is 83 million Beri, but I am willing to pay you all their collective bounties multiplied by four, even taking into account any possible raises to their bounties." Etels replied, as he turned away from the bounty hunters. "Well, are you in on this, or not?"_

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Both Zugai and Maria stared at Morte after his explanation was finished, before Zugai suddenly shook his head (and in effect, his entire upper body). "So, what you're saying is that you went out of your way, poisoning my crewmates, and kidnapping our friends, just so some guy named after scythes could give you a quadruple-sized paycheck?" he exclaimed in exasperation, as Morte merely nodded. Seeing this, Zugai looked around him in shock, before knocking himself on the head. "But what kind of sense does that make?! You're a bounty hunter, supposedly famed as 'The best in all of East Blue', and you single out a lone crew because a bozo with a cloak promises you bigger payment?!"

"Now, take into consideration, Orthopedic, your crew is worth 126 million Beri at this point, which would mean an easy 500 million Beri for me and my associates to bask in." Morte replied, as he now began juggling the gun with a single hand. "True, it may not be as lucrative as going after, say, the Blackmouths, but it's a start, which is fine enough for me."

Zugai blinked, as he looked into the ground, gritting his teeth. "You… YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY LOGICAL SENSE!" he suddenly yelled, before he dashed at Morte, claws at the ready, as he lashed at Morte with his claws, but the feline anthromorph easily swayed underneath the strike.

"Captain…" Maria muttered, as she saw how ferociously Zugai was fighting, when she spotted something in the corner of her eye. Looking back at the mountain behind her, she could see something blue spark up in a cave. "Don't tell me…" Then, she saw the blue sparks actually form letters, as it eventually turned into a sentence, which she immediately knew what meant. "Ah, I see! And to think that I… No, now's not the time; I've got to help Zugai as best I can!" Then, she ran to the edge of the woods, searching for something there, as Morte observed her calmly whilst avoiding Zugai's onslaught.

"Hey, stop messing around!" Zugai yelled, as he kept on slashing, with Morte spending even less time focusing on avoiding the attacks. "If you're going to fight, then fight, damnit!" Zugai called, as he began lashing his claws out more ferociously this time around.

"It's not going to work, Orthopedic!" Morte said, as he raised his left arm, still avoiding the slashes. "Your predictability will be your downfall." However, just before he could strike Zugai, he felt something cut his cheek, as he suddenly noticed that Zugai was moving his spineless back like it was a leaf in the wind, thus increasing the random outcome of where the slashes would land. "He can't possibly-" Then, a multitude of claws suddenly cut his chest, as he widened his eyes in surprise, before leaping away from Zugai. "You… how did you pass through my speed?!"

Zugai shrugged as best he could, as he prepared himself for another dash. "I guess that's the benefit of lacking a spine; you're not sure what goes through your head at all." he replied bluntly, before he dashed at Morte once again, claws at the ready.

As the two clashed again, Maria was rummaging around the ground near the edge of the forest, looking desperately for something. "Come on, it has to be here somewhere…" she muttered, as she briefly looked back at Zugai's and Morte's fight, before she felt something which wasn't grass touch her hand. "Is this…" she whispered, as she looked at just what she had come in contact with; a rope hidden underneath the grass. ""Yes! Now, what happens if I pull this…?" she muttered, as she gave the rope a good tug, but nothing seemed to happen. "A… dud?"

Just then, however, she saw that the tree next to her just fell down without anything pushing it, though a log conveniently placed by her kept the tree from falling all the way down. Then, a rope tied to the tree began tightening, as the tree was hauled backwards by an unseen force. "Just… how much time did she put into this?" Maria said in shock, as the tree was soon fully back in place, when she suddenly saw a tree behind the other tree, which had a large club attached to it suddenly swing at the loose tree, sending it flying away, aimed for Morte and Zugai. "Eh- Captain, look out!"

As soon as Zugai and Morte heard this, both of them turned their heads towards the tree flying at them, but before Morte could dodge it, Zugai suddenly lashed at Morte with his left hand, a strike which was narrowly blocked. Then, Zugai suddenly fell backwards on purpose, as he narrowly dodged the tree, as it struck Morte head-on, sending him flying towards the other edge of the woods.

However, before Morte could even crash into a tree, another tree with a club attachment suddenly crashed into Morte, sending him flying towards the opposite end of the forest, where he was struck by yet another tree-club, sending him flying right at another tree-club, thus making the process repeat itself ad infinitum, even making Zugai, who still stood in the center of the field, dizzy. "What kind of traps did Shin set up here, anyway?" he groaned, as he struggled to be focused on just where Morte would end up next.

Soon, after approximately four minutes of Morte being slammed from one side of the forest to the other, he was now being flung straight towards the tree that had begun this painful chain reaction, which would lead him to Maria. Seeing this, Maria instinctively (and in panic) flung the spine at Morte like a whip, though as it lashed around the bounty hunter, the speed at which he was going forced Maria to keep spinning Morte around her, before she accidentally flung Morte into the sky. "Eh- I-I'm sorry!"

Just as Morte begun his descent, however, Zugai quickly grabbed hold of Honehakaisha again, holding it ready for a slash at the bounty hunter. "This is for my crew, you cowardly bastard!" he yelled, as when Morte got into range, he violently slammed the flat side of his labrys into the bounty hunter, sending him crashing into the ground, creating a small crater. As the dust cleared from the impact, they could easily see the damage Morte had sustained, now being as bloodied as Zugai. "Huh… well, can't say Shin isn't efficient." Zugai muttered, as he glanced over at Maria, who only looked back at him with an exhausted smile.

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"WOO! That's my girl, way to go!" Shin yelled in happiness, as she had just seen how her diabolical trap had worked against Morte. "I call it the Woodchucking Wood-Patrol! Pretty neat, huh?" she asked Wora, who was nodding in excitement as well.

"Oh my gosh, we gotta go down there and give them an ovation, or something!" Wora exclaimed, as she walked outside the cave, walking onto a path leading down to the field. "If we hurry up, we can go on a highway to… well, something!" she added, as she began running down the path, followed by Shin, but before following her, she noticed something about Morte.

"Wait… is he…" Shin muttered, as she suddenly got a shocked expression on her face. "Oh sh- Zugai!" Then, in a hurry, she ran the path, passing by Wora, as she gritted her teeth in suspense. "_Please, Zugai, for the love of God, look behind you!_"

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"Well, looks like we're done." Zugai muttered, as he retracted his bone claws into his body, painful though it would be. "Maria, do you think you could get the syringe from his jacket?" he asked, as he looked over at Maria, who now looked like she had seen a ghost. "Maria? You okay?" Then, he suddenly widened his eyes, as he heard panting come from behind him, and as he spun around, he saw that Morte had, miraculously enough, gotten back on his feet, even though he was stumbling.

"This… is nothing." Morte whispered in a menacing tone, as he slowly cracked his neck, effectively vocalizing the sound his joints gave upon being cracked, making Maria look away in disgust. "Compared to other pirates I've fought… this is nothing." he repeated, as he groggily pointed his left arm at Zugai. "But this has become a drag to me…"

"Hey, would you cut that out?!" Zugai yelled, as he shook his head. "Look at yourself; you can barely stand! Just accept it; your plan failed!" However, just as he said this, Morte vanished from view, before reappearing in front of Zugai, stabbing his pata through Zugai's body, making Maria give out a shriek of fear.

"My plans… are perfect." Morte whispered, as he pulled out the pata, letting Zugai's body fall to the ground, just as Maria rushed to her captain's aid. "Leave him; he's as good as dead." he muttered, though the fishwoman ignored his remarks.

"C-captain, please, don't die…" Maria muttered, as she turned Zugai around so that his back faced upwards, before placing his spine on it, watching it sink into his body slowly. "Thank goodness, he's alive…" she sighed in relief, when she saw a blade being pointed down at his body, right next to her.

"Well, that is good." Morte said with a sneer, as he raised the blade. "Then I can make sure that he truly perishes this time!" However, just before he could stab the blade at Zugai, Maria suddenly tackled him, before pinning him down to the ground.

"What kind of monster are you?!" she yelled, as she grabbed hold of his neck, lifting her head closer to hers. "Striking someone while they are down is just evil!" However, as she spoke, Morte could only laugh, though with his injuries, it resulted in him coughing up some blood in the process, which splashed on Maria's face, making her drop Morte out of shock.

"I told you what kind of a monster I am, and yet you still don't comprehend that?!" he laughed, as Maria could only glare at him. "Listen well, fishwoman; he may be a monster, you may be a monster, and I am most certainly a monster… but this sea contains monsters far beyond our capability of thought! Of course… someone like you doesn't have much of that."

However, that comment only earned him a hard punch to the face, which only made him laugh harder, aggravating Maria to the point of pounding her fists against the bounty hunter, all whilst he continued laughing. "See what I'm talking about?!" Morte exclaimed in-between punches. "You and your kind are nothing but animals that rely on their animalistic instincts, as well as their emotions, which is limited to rage! And now, by pummeling me, you prove what everyone says about you!"

As he said this, Maria was about to throw yet another punch at Morte, though she stopped it merely inches from his face. "So… we-we're basing this on races?" she whispered, as she looked down at Morte, as tears were now running down from her eyes. "You're saying that just because you're a human, me defending my friends with force makes me an animal? If anything, the real animal here is you!"

Again, the bounty hunter laughed, more manic than before. "Why, that's an interesting argument! Let me just say that I agree with you; I am an animal!" Suddenly, he transformed into a full-formed ocelot, as he suddenly clamped his teeth around Maria's arm, causing the fishwoman to howl in pain, giving him an opportunity to escape from her, before turning into his hybrid form again. "Now, stand aside, so I can kill your captain!"

"That…" Maria began, as she was holding her arm in pain, yet still she was glaring at Morte. "Will not happen… until my heart stops beating!" she added, as she rushed at Morte, pulling her fist behind her.

"You know… I can arrange that." Morte sneered, as he quickly stabbed the pata at Maria, who only barely avoided it by swaying her head to the left, letting it pierce her blue ponytail, which was cut open, forcing her blue hair to fall down to her shoulders. Before she got any time to recover, Morte cut her over the chest with his kris, before suddenly jumping away from her. "Do you want to see me get serious?" he said menacingly, as he pulled both his pistols forth, holding them in his hands, as his tail suddenly coiled itself around the handle of his kris, before he pointed his left arm at Maria.

"Hnn…" Maria growled lightly, as she knew that without a weapon, she was now at a major disadvantage against Morte. "And… I suppose you're quite skilled with that stance?" she asked, to which Morte merely nodded.

"Of course, you won't live long enough to critique it!" Morte said, before he lunged at Maria again, lashing his tail at her, though she rolled away from it, only letting her maid's outfit get hit by it. Then, he suddenly pulled the trigger on his right pistol, the bullet strafing her cheek, as she quickly got back up, running at him, resulting in him pulling the trigger on his left pistol, though this one merely strafed her arm.

Then, Maria suddenly kicked Morte in the ribs, sending him flying away from her, though he landed back on his feet, before aiming his pistols at Maria's feet, shooting them both simultaneously, as Maria's left leg was hit by one of the bullets. Ignoring it, she ran towards Morte again, throwing a punch, which Morte avoided with a mere turn of his head, before trying to stab his pata at her, though she grabbed the arm before it could hit her. However, in return, Morte quickly pulled the trigger on the gun he held with that arm's hand, hitting Maria's shoulder, forcing her to let go of Morte.

Then, the bounty hunter suddenly leapt at Maria, grabbing her arms so she could not break free. "Poor fool." he whispered, as the kris in his tail quickly slashed Maria across the face once. "So eager to aid your crew, yet you fail to realize that you're at your wits end." Then, the tail lashed, making the kris slash Maria's face once more. "Just like your captain… well, I can't say it's unfitting; a fool of a captain, leading a fool of a crew." Then, the tail raised itself, so that the kris it held was pointing directly at Maria's face. "A crew so foolish, it couldn't see its own end, even when it faced it head on."

However, before the tail could stab itself forward, it was grabbed by a white, bony hand, and as Morte glanced back at this hand in slight pain, he felt a different hand punch his face, forcing him to let go of Maria. "Hey, now, going after those without bounties?" Zugai's voice said in a shaky, yet adamant tone, as Maria looked at the up-and-going form of her captain. "I'm beginning to doubt you being that much of a bounty hunter."

"Ca-captain…" Maria muttered, as she dropped to her knees. "My God… yo-you can't be intent on keeping it up? I mean… your body's…" she sobbed, trying her best to keep in her tears, though a hand on her shoulder made her look up to meet her captain's eyes.

"I'll be fine, Maria. But right now, you should go get the syringe, and get back to Moon with Chris and Ignacio. I'll get Shin and Wora back myself, and…" Wincing, Zugai nearly stumbled, as he used Maria to support himself so that he wouldn't collapse. "…I'll kick the hell out of this guy." he added, as he looked over at Morte, who had quickly gotten to his feet. "Now, hurry… get the syringe, and go."

Looking from Morte to her captain, Maria nodded, as she got to her feet, running towards Morte's jacket, where she assumed the syringe was. "Hey, just who told you that I'd let you do that?" Morte called, as he ran towards Maria, only to be blocked by Zugai. "Oh, I suppose it was you?"

"Damn straight, I am!" Zugai replied, as he grabbed hold of Morte before he could pass by him, before slamming him into the ground. "And you're not leaving until either you win, or I win." As he said this, Maria had begun running away from the scene, holding something in her hand.

"Then I suppose you'll lose!" Morte snapped back, as he turned back into his animal-form, before biting Zugai's arm, but unlike Maria, Zugai refused to give in to the pain, mainly due to hardening his bones. As Morte let go of the arm, Zugai quickly grabbed the bounty hunter, before throwing him away from him. "Ergh… you can't beat me like that." Morte spat, as he got back up again, now looking like a complete mess.

"Maybe not." Zugai replied, as he closed his eyes, when Morte realized that his back was convulsing violently, and that his arms went limp, his left hand even disappearing into his body. "But maybe like this, I can!" Then, all of a sudden, something shot out of Zugai's back, before his upper body again went completely limp, letting Morte see that a skeletal arm was sticking out of it. Then, another arm suddenly shot out, as both of them began pushing something out from the back, even making Morte grimace in disgust. Finally, Zugai's entire spine was pushed out of the body, along with his skull, as it even brought along Zugai's hair, leaving behind a bald head on his fleshed-out body.

"Hagasukaijo…" the skull said, as it looked at Morte menacingly, making the bounty hunter realize that the skull had some sort of red glare coming from within its eye sockets (though, as Zugai's hair blocked its left eye, you could only see the right). "Half-A-Golem." As Zugai said this, the skeletal body slowly picked up Honehakaisha, as Morte recomposed himself.

"So what?" he said, as he wiped blood from his mouth. "You pop your upper body out of your back, and you think I'd be impressed? Just die, already!" Then, he suddenly leapt at Zugai, but despite his agility, the skeletal body of the pirate actually blocked the attack with his labrys. "What?"

"You should be happy." Zugai said, as he pushed Morte away from him, beginning to spin Honehakaisha in his hands. "We can fight on equal terms now!" Then, Zugai swiped Honehakaisha impossibly fast over Morte, surprising the bounty hunter long enough for the pirate to slam the axe's flat side into him, sending him flying away once again.

"Impossible…" Morte spat, as he slowly got back up again. "How… how can you counter my speed?!" he yelled, as he rushed at Zugai again, stabbing his pata at the skeletal figure, but the only thing that lead to was him sticking it between Zugai's ribs, meaning that it was stuck. "Damnit!"

"By lightening the marrow of my bones, I effectively decrease the weight of my entire body." Zugai replied, as he lifted Honehakaisha over his head. "And when the lightened bones aren't restrained by flesh, it allows me to move them at speeds not normally possible." Then, he suddenly kicked Morte away from him, before dashing at the bounty hunter, axe at the ready.

Then, he passed by Morte, having cut the anthromorph's chest, forcing Morte to revert into his normal form. "Guh… but… don't tell me that he was…" Then, Morte collapsed to the ground, knocked out.

Looking behind him, Zugai sighed, as his skeleton reemerged back into his body, his hair returning from his skull to his head. "Well… now, it's really over." he muttered, as he suddenly collapsed as well, having overexerted himself.

Just then, Shin and Wora came down from the path, just noticing Zugai collapse. "Captain!" Shin called, as she rushed to his side, whilst Wora merely glanced at Morte, before joining Shin. "C'mon, Wora, we gotta get this boy back to the ship!" Then, she hauled Zugai up, before dragging him back to the woods. "Wora, you could pull the axe. If it's metal inside of it, it shouldn't be a problem for you."

Looking at the axe, Wora began poking it, as the axe slowly nudged towards her direction. "Ooh, it likes me!" she said happily, as she began skipping towards the woods, the axe magnetically following her.

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"Boy, you look like a mess." Shin sighed, as she was patting some cotton on Zugai's wounds, who groaned in pain when she did so. "Hey, stop acting like such a baby!" After Shin and Wora had gotten Zugai back to the Howling Moon, they had found Ignacio, Chris and Maria to already be there, and soon, Chris and Zugai were now under their care.

"Oh, look who's talking." Zugai said in a sarcastic tone, as he winced again. "Besides, it's not like I'm made of rubber; my bone defense isn't invincible, you know."

"Yeah, yeah…" Chris replied, as she was shown to be lying in a bed, as Maria was changing out her bandages. "Say, Maria, Ignacio, thanks for helping us out."

"_No problemo_, but it's really Maria here you ought to be thanking." Ignacio shot in, as he created more bandages out of his body, wrapping them carefully around the areas Zugai was wounded. "Besides, I think you have more pressing matters at hand." he added.

"Oh… oh, yes…" Maria said, as she looked to the ground. "We… still only have the three syringes…"

There was complete silence. Of course, the most pressing matter was who to distribute the antidote to, and as they only had three dosages, naturally, two would end up dying. Then, suddenly, Ignacio brightened up. "I have a _concepto_! Quick, hand me your map!"

Nodding reluctantly, Maria quickly ran out the door, before returning moments later, holding a piece of paper in her hands. Giving it to Ignacio, the thief began inspecting it. "Hmm… yes, yes, yes!" Then, he suddenly slammed the map on a table, pointing at a certain island. "There, on that island, lives a doctor! He's bound to be able to create more of the _antídoto_!"

As soon as Ignacio said this, Zugai, Chris, Shin and Maria quickly brightened up. "So… we can still save everyone?" Chris nearly yelled in excitement, as she tried standing up, but the pain surging through him prevented that from occurring, forcing him to sit back down.

"But hang on…" Zugai said, as he looked at the different crewmates. "How are we gonna get there? If we're gonna get to this new island, we need our…" As he said this, he realized just who they needed. "I think the doctor only will need two syringes to work on." he said, as he looked at Maria. "Hey, could you please inject Jin with one of those syringes?"

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"Morte, are you awake?" Morte slowly opened his eyes, as he saw both Akira and Vraspos standing over him, before they heaved him up to his feet. "Man, you got messed up. You make Vraspos look like a Logia!" However, soon, Morte broke out into a psychotic laughter again. "H-hey, Morte, what's wrong?"

"Yes! That's the man I've been waiting for." Morte laughed, as he coughed up a few droplets of blood, before grinning wickedly. "He will be the pinnacle of my career… if we can get to them again."

Vraspos looked at his partner, as he narrowed his eyes. "And… what do you mean by that?" he asked, as Morte looked up at him with a grin.

"Why, didn't we go over the map before we entered this sea?" Morte said sinisterly, before looking down into the ground. "Two islands from now, they'll end up at Seisabetsu Island, where HE'S taken up residence…" Then, his smirk died out, as he regained his composure. "I just hope I get to kill them before that day comes."

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**A/N: **This took WAY longer than it should have, and I apologize for that, but if you're expecting lightning-fast updates again, then you'll have to hold on to your pants, as we're beginning exams at school now, so if I don't update for a while, then that's what's holding me up. Just so you know! Now, you just remember to read and review, and I'll be seeing you for the beginning of the next arc!

**YolkaEd**


	36. The Search for a Doctor part 1

A few days had passed since the defeat of the renowned bounty hunter Morte del Astuto, but whilst only a handful of people knew about it, those remaining on Atsumari Island were certain that the man who defeated this bounty hunter was no ordinary man. However, on a small vessel headed for this island, the two sailors onboard it were completely oblivious to this event.

"Sir Card Shark, I beg you once again for forgiveness!" a male voice said in an apologizing tone. "If I had not been so weak with my Kyoku Yochi Golem Yoroi Gobai, I would not have faced such a humiliating defeat for our cause!"

"Will yis shut up about that, already?" a second voice groaned, as we see that the two sailors really were none other than Card Shark and Dojang, still suffering somewhat from their battle for the opera. "Arra, we had a fairly decent chance of winnin', but that gassin just had to show up and pull the odds in his favor!" he added, his Irish accent still audible. "Though, I will admit that the battle was class, so it was."

"If you say so, Sir…" Dojang sighed, as the small boat finally reached the shore of Atsumari Island. "You wouldn't suppose that they are still here, Sir Card Shark?"

"Eh, don't really care." Card Shark responded dryly, as he was now holding an Ace of Spades in his hand. "Though I'll bet my lug that if she's here, she'd be on our tails right about…" As he said this, a horde of animals began running out of the woods, followed by a very angry-looking Wora. "Now."

Yelling angrily, Wora's hands were building up electrical energy, as she was aiming to strike Card Shark with this electricity, though she was immediately stopped by a massive wall of dirt emerging right in front of him, courtesy of Dojang. "Ah, if it ain't me good old mot, Wora!" Card Shark said happily, as the wall slowly crumbled, letting him see just how maddened Wora looked. "Howsa goin'? Still hanging with that gurrier, Ignacio?"

"I told you, if I ever saw you face again, I'd thunderstrike it until there would be nothing more than fishsticks left of it!" Wora yelled, as she began rubbing her hands intensely, when cloth suddenly wrapped around her, preventing her from doing something harmful to Card Shark.

"_Hacer_, Wora, _hacer_." the voice of Ignacio called, as Card Shark and Dojang saw him right behind her, holding her in check. "We have _visitas _with us today, so be polite."

"Lord Ignacio, Lady Wora." Dojang shot in, as he suddenly bowed down before them. "I am honored to once more be in your presence."

"Ah, hauld your whisht, will ya?" Card Shark said lazily, as he looked at Ignacio. "Right, I'm sure you know this by now, but the assassination attempt went cat. But you could have told me that Maria could fight back!"

Ignacio blinked a few times, as he tilted his head. "Assassination? Card Shark, what are you _parlante _about?" he asked, as he released the grip on Wora, who nearly jumped on Card Shark, had not a few dirt golems sprouted up beneath her, holding her from Card Shark.

"Don't act like a eejit, boyo." Card Shark responded, as he pulled a newspaper out of his trench coat. "Me and Dojang were given strict orders to assassinate the wan who played Maria in that play at Shigusa Island, but it turned out to be a group of scobies turned pirates! Since ye'r an enforcer, I figured it was you who gave that order!" he added, as he handed the paper to Ignacio, who began reading it.

"_Maldecir…_" the Spaniard muttered, as he read just what had happened on Shigusa Island. "Why would… it can't be him who ordered that _asesinato_, could it?" he added, as he folded the newspaper together. "Luckily, you didn't kill the _piratears_; they saved Wora's life not too many days ago."

Now, both Dojang and Card Shark looked at Wora in surprise, as the golems vanished into the sand, letting Wora fall to the ground. "But… Lady Wora is known for being one of the more fearsome members of this Revolutionary Army." Dojang began, as he scratched his chin. "Just who could have put her life in such harm?"

At that moment, Wora scoffed, as she crossed her arms. "If you have to know, it was some bounty hunters from East Blue, one of them being Manigo-something or another…" she said, as she suddenly noticed a insect flying around her head, as she began looking around her with a sense of glee, before suddenly looking over at Card Shark. "And you're a jerk!"

"Hey, I amn't a jerk, you gobsh-" Card Shark began, when he suddenly realized who Wora was referring to. "So… if the pirates saved you from Manigordo, then… Jaykers me Janey Mac! They beat Manigordo?!"

"This is the truth." Ignacio said, as he looked past Card Shark, out to the sea's horizon. "Right now, they're headed for Yokocho Island… I'm just praying for them to have better luck in getting that doctor's _asistencia_ than other pirates, or their crew may very well be doomed."

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Search for a Doctor part 1**

**The Immortal Youth and the All-Knowing Mute**

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Five days had passed since the defeat of Morte and his cohorts, and right now, the Cross Skull Pirates were sailing towards their new goal, so they could find a doctor that would cure most of the crew's members of the poison Morte's gang had injected them with. Though they had to use one of the antidotes to awaken Jin, Ignacio had insisted that if a doctor took a look at the two remaining ones, he could create enough dosages for four people.

Right now, Maria was sitting by the mast of the ship, wondering about just how they were going to solve their situation, in case the doctor couldn't help. Chris and Shin were busy trying to keep the poisoned crewmates stabilized, so that they would succumb too early, whilst Jin was keeping the ship at a steady course. Zugai, on the other hand, had locked himself inside of his workshop ever since they left Atsumari Island, never stepping outside of it. Whilst Shin and Jin didn't worry too much of it (as he had done something similar when Ignacio had broken Honehakaisha), Chris and Maria would wonder just what he was doing in there.

"Hey, Maria!" she heard Jin call, as their navigator quickly sat down next to her, surprising her a little. "Still sitting by yourself, I see… not too clever in the long run." he said, as he leant against the mast, watching the sky above them.

"I know, but…" Maria began, as she looked down into the deck. "…but I- I'm just worried about this whole ordeal. Steel Scythe, Manigordo, the poison… why just go for us?" she said to herself.

Jin looked at his crewmate for a second, before looking back up into the sky. "I'm pretty sure a lot of people worry over stuff like that." he said calmly, as his lips curved into a smile of sorts. "I mean, you wouldn't think that all of the Straw Hats just went along with Sir Crocodile targeting them for any reason other than knowing his name."

"I… suppose you're right." Maria replied, as she looked over at Jin. "But… some rumors say that the Steel Scythe is even stronger than at least half of the Shichibukai, Crocodile included… but then again, the only thing I really know of him is that he's a recluse. He almost never shows his face to the public…"

Jin merely nodded to this, before he suddenly snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah, that reminds me! Zugai wanted you to come to his room; he said he wanted you to see something."

As Jin said this, Maria looked at him with a confused look, before nodding a little. "O-okay…" she muttered, as she stood up, before walking away from the mast, towards Zugai's workshop. Standing in front of it, she could hear something being hammered on inside. Gulping, she gently knocked on the door, when the hammering immediately subsided.

Then, all of a sudden, the door flew open, startling Maria, as she saw her captain being completely exhausted, as a thick cloud of steam floated out of the room. "Oh, there you are!" Zugai said cheerfully, as he wiped his brow with his forearm. "I just finished my newest project, and I wanted to see if you liked it!" Then, he quickly went inside of the room again, as Maria stepped a little bit away from the steam floating out of the room.

"C-captain, just what were you-" Maria began, when Zugai suddenly emerged from the room, holding something in his hands; a bone-white staff with two joints separating two parts of it from one another, making it seem like two nunchucks had been merged together. "What… what is that?" she asked.

"It's my newest creation, of course!" Zugai responded happily, as he took a look at the staff. "It's a three-sectioned staff, and I just named it Honetsukon!" Then, he suddenly pushed the staff into Maria's hands. "And it's yours, now."

Maria looked down at her new weapon, before looking back up at Zugai with a confused look. "But I- and the… But, I couldn't, and-" she stuttered, as she had some trouble finding the right words to say. "But… why?" she finally asked, as Zugai began tapping his chin to think of an answer.

"Well, you did say that you were somewhat good with nunchucks back when we fought Morte back there?" he said, as she nodded shyly. "Well, I figured that since your attack range would be somewhat limited with only nunchucks, I decided that you'd need something longer, like a three-sectioned staff. I think it's supposed to work the same way…"

Maria looked back at the staff, before working up a slightly stouter nod. "I… thank you, Zugai." she finally said, as she took a better look at it; everything about it, even the metallic joints and chains holding the three pieces together, was made out of bone, though she felt that it was heavy enough for metal to have been used somewhere in it.

"So THAT'S why you insisted on taking the bones off what animals Ignacio and Wora had in stock." they heard Chris say, as they looked up to see Chris standing just outside the kitchen, leaning on the railing. "I was just thinking of what you were gonna do with 'em." she added, as she looked over at Jin. "Hey, Jin, long 'til we get there?" she called, as Jin looked lazily at her from the mast.

"I think we'll be there in half an hour, if I'm not mistaken." he replied, as he returned his gaze to the sky. "But we gotta figure out who's gonna go looking for this doctor, when we got the sick to worry about."

Zugai nodded, before butting his fists against each other. "I think that's pretty obvious, wouldn't you say?" he said, as he looked at Maria, Jin and Chris respectively, all three of which seemed clueless to what he was talking about. "Ergh… what I meant is that it'd be best if Chris and I went to find the doctor, right?" he said.

"He does have a point." Shin's voice called, as she stepped out of the kitchen behind Chris. "After all, he and Chris took a rather heavy beating from those bounty hunters, so it'd be smarter if those who didn't get involved stayed behind to guard the ship and patients, just so old injuries wouldn't get in the way."

"You know, that's really not a bad idea." Chris said, as she nodded approvingly. "I'm all for this, what about you?" she asked the others, as both Maria and Jin nodded approvingly.

"Right, then, it's settled!" Zugai said, as he pointed one finger somewhat dramatically into the sky. "Me and Chris will go and find the doctor once we get to land!" he said even more dramatically, which came off as somewhat ridiculous, as the crew soon broke into laughter, Zugai included.

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As Jin had predicted, half an hour later, the Howling Moon approached the docks of the island known as Yokocho Island, where it was safely anchored. Zugai and Chris had been quick to jump on land, wishing the rest of the crew good luck, as they ventured into what seemed to be a desolate town found in western-stories; the streets were naught but sand, and some of the buildings were abandoned, some seemingly for several years. "Some kind of town this was…" Chris muttered, as she tried to see if she could spot anyone hiding in their houses. "Maybe they fled once they saw us coming?"

"I'm sure we'll find out about that sooner or later." Zugai responded, as he weighed Honehakaisha on his back. "But right now, we have to find some clues about this doctor." he said, as he ventured into the town, and with a nod, Chris followed suite.

As they ventured through the town, however, they came to realize that it was practically empty; no shops were open, the bar was abandoned, and if houses weren't locked, they were barricaded. "My God, I didn't know we were THAT infamous!" Chris said in annoyance, as she rubbed her temples out of frustration.

"But something doesn't rhyme here…" Zugai said, as he rubbed his own chin in thought. "Either someone would try to apprehend us, or the entire town populace would ambush us. But if they're not gonna do that… then what happened?" As he said this, however, a piece of paper suddenly flew into his face, catching him by surprise. Removing it from his face, he saw that the paper had something written on it. "What the…"

"_They hide from someone else._" the note read, as Zugai looked at it with a confused look. Then, another paper landed on his head, and as he found out, this one also had something written on it. "_Look behind you._" this one read, and just as Zugai turned his head, he noticed someone standing not too far from them.

This someone was about three inches shorter than Chris, and was dark-skinned. His upper body was shirtless, and his dark-green pants had their ends cut up somewhat. His hair style was compromised of dreadlocks tied down to his waist in a ponytail, and as they noticed, his hair was black with some grey streaks in it. What was most striking about him was that his eyes were pure white, with no pupils or irises to speak of. He was also holding a pen and a notebook in his hands.

"And… who are you?" Chris asked, as she looked at this man in confusion. However, instead of replying, the man merely observed Chris and Zugai, but mostly Chris. "Hey, it's rude not to answer someone, you know!" she called, but still, the man gave no reply. "Hey, don't tell me that you're deaf, or something!"

As she said this, the man began writing in his notebook, before ripping the page out of it, showing it to the pirates. Upon reading it, however, Chris stepped back in surprise. "_Actually, I can hear you quite well, miss._" it read.

Zugai looked at the note for a few seconds, before scratching his head. "Hey, how'd you know Chris really was a girl?" he asked, as Chris gave him a deadly glare, though he didn't seem to notice it.

Again, the man wrote something in his book, showing it to both the pirates. "_I just know._" it read, as the man began writing something in addition to that on the same paper. "_Though I don't know why she'd just disguise herself like a man; that just sounds crazy to me._" was what he wrote down, as Zugai couldn't help but crack a smile, though a nudge from Chris stopped him from breaking into laughter.

"Well, what's your name, then?" Chris asked, but once again, the man wouldn't reply. "Hey, come on, that's not fair! You answered his question, and not mine!" she said in annoyance, as the man began writing something.

However, what he wrote was not what she had in mind; "_By the way, look behind you._" the next note read, and both pirates blinked in confusion, until they heard something approach them.

"BANZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAI!!!" someone yelled, as Chris managed to catch a glimpse of someone jumping towards Zugai from behind, holding a dagger in his left hand. However, once the newcomer got in range, Zugai immediately grabbed hold of Honehakaisha, and sliced at the assailant, something that resulted in the attacker being cut in half, the halves of his body crashing on the pavement before the black man.

Chris looked at the newcomer in shock, before suddenly grabbing Zugai. "Hey, what the hell did you do that for?!" she yelled in comical anger, as she pointed at the halved person. "That was completely unnecessary on your part; you could have just grabbed him, or something!"

"I-I didn't mean to cut through him!" Zugai said in self-defense, as he looked at the newcomer. "I was just trying to-"

"Just trying to, my ass!" Chris cut him off. "You just cut through someone!"

"But he was trying to kill me!" Zugai responded.

"But you can harden your bones, you complete jackass! Didn't that ever occur to you, or something?!"

"Guh…" Before Chris could continue lashing out at her captain, both of them looked at the newcomer in shock, as they saw that he was still moving, despite being cut in half. He was about five feet tall, and his hair was dark green, and his eyes were light green. His clothing consisted of a white tank top shirt and black shorts, though they were all now a little bloodied, thanks to Zugai. "Dude… that was totally uncalled for." he muttered, as he looked up at the black man. "Yo, Silent, give me a hand?" he said, as the black man quickly placed his upper body next to his lower, as the two halves suddenly merged together, forming into a whole person again.

"Wha- but the- and the- but, eh?!" was all that Chris could utter in surprise, as she saw the newcomer get up on his feet again, as if he hadn't been cut in two. "Just what… Don't tell me that was a Devil Fruit?"

"Well, that was one, indeed, dude." the newcomer replied. "The Fukyu Fukyu no Mi." he added, as he looked over at the black man. "Silent over here ate the… what was it… the Gaku Gaku no Mi?" he asked, as Silent nodded in response.

Zugai blinked, as he looked at Silent for a moment, before returning his gaze at the green-haired teen. "Well… what powers do those fruits grant you, then?" he asked, as the green-haired teen seemed to ignore him. "Hey, don't tell me that everyone in this town give off the silent treatment to visitors?"

"Ah, no, nothing like that." the teen replied, as he stretched his hand out to Zugai. "Name's Ken Dye Maan, by the way. And you…?" Zugai looked at the hand with some suspicion, before he slowly tried grabbing it, only for Ken to turn away from him, nearly causing him to topple over. "Just messing with ya, dude. We do read the newspapers around here, Zugai Hibiware."

Chris looked at Ken with a suspicious look, as she suddenly noticed that Ken's left arm was missing from his body. "Erm… you seem to be lacking an arm." she said, as Ken looked at the bloody stump where his arm used to be, making him groan in annoyance.

"Dude, I always forget that!" he sighed, as he noticed it lying right next to Silent. "Well, you asked about our powers, right?" he said, as he walked towards the arm, picking it up before merely putting it on the stump of his arm. "Silent here has the ability to… what was it… know everything? Sounds pretty ridiculous, if ya ask me, dude."

Chris looked over at Silent, who was merely observing Ken trying to put his arm correctly back into place. "He knows everything?" she asked, as she scratched her chin. "So, he knows how the Devil Fruits came to be, and what One Piece really is?" As Silent heard this, he gave off a small nod. "Well… just for curiosity's sake, could you tell us how Devil Fruits came to be, then?" However, this time, Silent merely shook his head. "Why not?"

As Chris asked this, Silent took the notebook again, as he wrote something in it, before showing it to Chris and Zugai. "_I just don't feel like spoiling the surprise._" it read, making the two pirates collapse comically in surprise. "_Besides, though I do know their origin, I'd rather see it first-hand before telling anyone else._" he continued writing.

"So… you don't talk, because you don't want anyone to find out things they shouldn't know about?" Zugai asked, as he scratched his head. Silent nodded approvingly, before walking towards a wall, leaning against it. "So… what about you, Ken?" he asked Ken, as he saw that Ken had put the arm back into place, though the dagger he had been holding was now stuck in it, though Ken didn't seem to mind.

"Me? Well, my powers basically make me immortal, dude." Ken replied, as he pulled out the bloodied dagger, looking curiously at it. "I can only die of natural causes, like old age and disease, but anything else? It won't affect me, dude." To prove his point, he suddenly jabbed the dagger repeatedly into his own skull, as the pirates winced each and every time he did so, though apart from blood leaking from his head, Ken was really unaffected by this. "It's really practical in a tight spot, if I may say so myself."

As Zugai looked at Ken with fascination, Chris began looking around the area they were in, growling softly to herself. "Look, I hate to be the bringer of bad news, but I don't think we have time for this. Could you just point us towards the nearest doctor?" she asked, as Ken looked at her in surprise.

"A doctor?" he said, as he rubbed the blade of the dagger against his head, unaware that it was actually digging into his flesh. "Well, the only doctor on this island lives up there." he added, as he pointed up towards a mountain some distance away from the town. "Though you came at a bad time, dude; the pathway up there isn't finished yet, and it's gonna take at least three weeks for it to be finished."

As Zugai heard this, he suddenly grabbed Ken's shoulders, shaking the teen in shock. "We don't have three weeks! In five days, our crew is gonna perish! We have to get up there at once!" he said, before he let go of Ken, who looked curiously at Zugai. "Please… tell me that there's an alternative path."

Ken rubbed his chin, before he snapped his fingers. "Well, there's always the forest path, but… Dude, I'd strongly suggest that you stay away from there." he said, as he pointed towards a forest on the outskirts of town, near the foot of the mountain. "The animals in there are pretty ferocious, and they say a monster lives there as well."

However, unbeknownst to Ken, Zugai and Chris had already begun walking towards the forest, and in surprise, ran after them, trying to hold them back by their shoulders. "Hey, hey, didn't ya listen to me?" he said, as he tried dragging them away from the woods. "The forest is dangerous! That monster is said to be merciless to those who trespass in the woods, and anyone who dares fighting him loses their heart, dude! It's just pure suicide!"

However, as he said this, Zugai stopped, as he glanced calmly at Ken. "I met a monster once." he said, as he pushed Ken's hand away from his shoulder. "He's the reason I have to save my crew." Then, he continued walking towards the woods, followed by Chris.

Ken watched them as they left, as he held his head in thought, when he noticed that the dagger was still lodged into his skull. "Hey, Silent!" he called, as he pulled the dagger out of his head, before looking over at the black man, who was now looking at Ken. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking, dude?" As he said this, Silent merely nodded with a small smirk. "I thought so." Then, without warning, Ken and Silent ran after Zugai and Chris, towards the forest.

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**A/N: **Okay, before you ask, Card Shark is talking more strangely than usual because I figured that with an Irish accent, he should probably use more Irish lingo, so if you're looking for the meaning of what he said at times, I'd suggest searching Wikipedia for Irish accents. Now, the new characters; Ken Dye Maan is made by **Kisdota-The Freak Gamer**, and Silent is made by **Trulywolf**. Now, I'll be seeing you for the next chapter, so remember to read and review!

**YolkaEd**


	37. The Search for a Doctor part 2

On top of the mountain on Yokocho Island, one would find a small, humble hut, with nothing moderately interesting about it. However, the thing you would find interesting about it was that someone actually lived there. This someone had just placed an opened bag full of birdseeds outside, where a flock of birds had begun consuming its contents. "Eat up, and be merry, I presume?" he said playfully, as he went inside of the house.

Inside, there was something quite different from normal houses; the floor was nearly covered with books, and on the single table inside, a myriad of experimental beakers filled with liquids of varying colors was present. "Well, might see if I can't cook up some soup today. I do like me some soup!" he said happily, as he sat down by the table, checking some of the beakers. "Let's see… this would go in here, and…"

As he checked the beakers, he heard someone knock on his door. "Hm?" Out of curiosity, he peeked out the window to see who it was, and when he noticed, he frowned quite visibly. "God, not another crew…" As he walked towards the door to open it, his gaze came upon a wanted poster hanging on the door, reading "'Bane of the Mountains' Shibun Tsurijioro, 34,000,000 Beri".

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Search for a Doctor part 2**

**The Creature of the Forest**

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By the foot of the mountain, a moderately thick forest made its own home, by the town lying on the west coast of Yokocho Island. In this forest, both Zugai and Chris were now located, trying to find their way through this forest to the mountain. However, both of them were somewhat tensed up, not only due to their time limit, being five days tops, but also the creature lurking some place in these woods. "So, Chris, what do you think this monster is?" Zugai asked, as Chris tapped her chin in thought about the answer.

"Well… if I was to guess right now?" she said, as she suddenly snapped her fingers. "I'd guess it's a half-human, half-demon girl, with quills like a hedgehog that can turn into wings, and she's suffering from split personality disorder, as well. What do you think?"

Zugai couldn't help but let a small snicker escape his lips, as he scratched his own head. "Well, it could be… a guy with the ability to copy any Devil Fruit ability in existence, and he just so happens to have the powers of the former Shichibukai, Portgas D. Ace, and even the Fleet Admiral, Aokiji!" As he said this, Chris began laughing.

"Yeah, and maybe it takes with it small children into the woods to invite them to a tea party!" Chris shot in, as both pirates began laughing even harder.

"And instead of losing hearts, the ones facing it lose their hats!" Zugai said, and both of them began roaring with laughter. However, just before Chris could come up with another option for what the monster could be, something passed by them at an incredible speed, nearly blowing the pirates off their feet. "Guh… just what was that?" Zugai asked, as he looked over at Chris, who looked upwards in shock.

"My… my h-ha- That thing stole my hat!" Chris yelled, as she quickly covered her head with her arms. "Son of a bitch! And my crescent dagger's still in it!" Looking frantically around, she tried stomping off in a random direction, when Zugai grabbed her arm.

"Look, I think we got more pressing matters at hand than looking for your hat right now, Chris." he said, as he looked towards the mountain, though it was somewhat difficult to see it with all the trees blocking the view. "We can find it once we've gotten the doctor's aid."

"But, I need that hat!" Chris snapped back, as she yanked her arm away from Zugai, letting her hair fall to her shoulders. "You never know just what kinda creeps lurk in the woods." she added, as she pulled out a bandana from her pocket, before trying to put her hair neatly on her head so that she could tie the bandana around her head, without her hair showing itself. However, this was easier said than done, since she couldn't hold both the hair and the bandana at once. "Hrm… Zugai, little help, please?"

Shrugging, Zugai helped Chris keep her hair neatly packed on her head, as she tied the cloth around her head. "So, why do you dress up like a guy, anyway?" he asked, just as she finished tying the bandana around her head.

"Well…" she began, as she reassured herself that no large amount of hair was sticking out of the bandana. "You might say that my grandma had an awful influence on me." Then, she turned to face her captain, smirking playfully. "Then again, I don't follow influences like that." she added, before giving a thumbs-up sign.

"Oh. So, eh…" Zugai began, as he scratched his neck. "She tried making you more… ergh, what's the word… lady-like?" he added with a snap of a finger, as Chris nodded.

"Every waking hour I was in her company, she tried making me wear dresses, and doing stuff like cooking fancy meals and cleaning floors, so I could become a successful lady when I grew up. That's just not me, you know?" she said, as she looked around the forest. "I'd rather spend time living each day like it's my last, with some plundering and looting to boot, not just sit in a rocking chair and knit a woolen sweater for some kid I'm definitely not gonna remember by the end of my days."

"Yeah, you're right…" Zugai said, as he wondered just how Chris would have turned out if she had followed her grandma's example and became more lady-like. However, before he could get into it too deeply, he heard Chris gasp, before looking towards her. "What's wrong?"

Chris didn't say anything, as she was pointing towards a tree, her mouth wide open. Perched on a branch on that tree, a small squirrel was sitting, holding something black in its small hands. "That little- the squirrel stole my hat!" she exclaimed in anger, as she quickly drew her double-sided dagger. Seeing the dagger, the squirrel suddenly escaped further into the forest. "Oh no, ya don't, you little thief! Give me back my hat!" Chris yelled, as she quickly gave pursuit to the squirrel, running ahead of Zugai.

"Huh. Thought she'd be a little less hypocritical about thievery." he muttered, as he prepared to follow her, though he froze in his tracks, feeling as if someone was watching him. Then, he turned his head to the left, and saw a pair of green eyes looking at him, the darkness of the woods concealing all but the eyes. Narrowing his eyes, he saw that the eyes did the same.

However, a distant yell of anger from Chris drew Zugai's attention for a brief moment, as he jerked his head towards where the sound came from. But when he turned back, the green eyes had vanished. "Hm, weird…" he muttered, before running after the sound of Chris yelling in anger.

After some running, Zugai's running came to a halt when he saw just why Chris was yelling so angrily; on top of a large tree, the squirrel sat perched with the hat in its hands, whilst it looked down at the raging Chris down below. "Get down here, you squirrely bastard! That hat isn't yours, you know!" she yelled angrily, shaking her fist at the squirrel, who only tilted its head in response.

"You know, Chris, you could try climbing after it." Zugai said with a tint of sarcasm in his voice, as he desperately held in the urge to break out laughing, when he suddenly heard Chris grunting. Looking back at her, he saw that she was now actively trying to climb the tree, getting up to the squirrel at a rapid pace. "…honestly, some people just don't get sarcasm." he sighed, as he drew out Honehakaisha, preparing to swing it.

Up at the top, Chris was now staring the squirrel squarely in the eye, holding the dagger by her teeth. "Okay, squirrel, listen up; you're gonna give me my hat back, or I'm gonna hand you over to Shin so that we can have squirrel stew for dinner tonight." she uttered coldly, as the squirrel blinked its eyes, before it suddenly looked down, and quickly, it threw the hat at Chris' face, before leaping off the tree, escaping into the woods. "Hah! Yeah, that's right! Run away, or I'll cut you up good!" she yelled after it, though the sudden sound of wood being split cut aborted her improvised rant against the squirrel. "Eh?"

Suddenly, the tree began to fall, and since Chris was at the top, she even got to see the tree descend down towards a nearby pond. "Oh, you have got to be-" she uttered, though the tree hit the water before she could finish her sentence, as she was submerged, save for her hat, which she held above the water so that it wouldn't get wet.

"Oops." Zugai said to himself, as he watched this scene play out. "Maybe I should have shouted out a warning or something…" he said, as he looked at Honehakaisha for a moment, before placing the axe on his back. "In retrospect, I should probably not have chopped down the tree, after all." he sighed, as he ran towards where the tree had landed.

As it turned out, the tree had landed not only landed in a pond, but it had also landed in a clearing; a true change from the otherwise thick woods. However, what caught Zugai's eye was the hand sticking out of the water, clutching Chris' black hat firmly, keeping it out of the water. "Hey, Chris, are you okay?"

As soon as he asked this, Chris emerged from the water, heaving for her breath, before she looked angrily at Zugai for a moment. "You know, you could have killed me there, you bonehead!" she called, as she awaited a response from Zugai. However, the response was nothing but laughter, and pretty soon, Chris couldn't help but join the laughter herself.

"Well, I guess I wasn't thinking straight." Zugai replied, as Chris began wading back to land; luckily, the water hadn't been that deep. "I mean, when I think about it, I should have yelled 'timber', or something."

"Well, you'd best remember that for the next time you decide to chop down a tree one of your friends is hiding in." Chris replied, as she got back on land, seemingly not noticing how wet her clothes had become. "Hmm… maybe we should set up some sort of bonfire." she finally said, looking at her arms with some manner of indifference.

"I don't think we're gonna have time for that." Zugai responded, as he observed the wet clothes Chris now wore. "Hey, maybe it's not such a good idea to walk around with that wet jacket on. You can borrow mine." he said, as he unzipped his hoodie-jacket, before removing it from his person, handing it to Chris.

"Hey, hey, relax, I can take care of…" Chris began, though she was sidetracked when she saw just what was underneath Zugai's jacket; a white T-shirt even more torn than the jacket was, showing not only the scar running from his neck to his thigh, but also various other scars, though they were noticeably smaller than the main scar. "Sheesh, what bear trap did you walk into, Zugai?" she asked, as she finally grabbed the jacket offered to her.

"Oh, these?" Zugai responded, as he pointed at the various scars on his body. "Well, I usually don't talk about it, but some time ago, when I was still building Moon, I thought that it'd be a great idea to have a cannon onboard the ship as well! But, well…" he began, as he bashfully scratched his neck.

"Well… what?" Chris asked, just as she finished putting Zugai's jacket on, holding her own jacket over her arm.

"Well… let's just say that gunpowder and bones don't mix very well together." Zugai responded, as he winced upon the memory of this certain event. When Chris tilted her head in confusion, Zugai opened his mouth to elaborate, though all he could come up with at such a short notice was "It went boom."

Upon hearing this simplified explanation, Chris couldn't help but let a chuckle escape her lips. "Why didn't you just use a different material?" she asked.

"Well, at the time, I had no way to afford anything other than bones, I guess." Zugai replied, as he sat down on the fallen tree. "Hell, I had no money to afford anything. I'm just lucky that Nampu's family were willing to let me stay with them…" He grew silent, as he looked down into the ground.

Chris tried reading Zugai's expression, but she couldn't get a good look of her captain's face. "You and Nampu are pretty close, right? I mean, not in that kinda way, but…" she asked, as that seemed to get Zugai's attention.

"It's kind of ironic, if you ask me." he replied, as he looked back up at Chris. "If I'm not mistaken, the pirate crew that abandoned me on Hobashira Island also killed his older brother. For a while, after I learned of how I really came to live on the island, I was sure that Nampu hated me with a passion." Then, he chuckled. "Turns out that his family knew how to move on with life after that death…"

Then, he got off the tree, brushing dust off his T-shirt. "But I'm not the type that can easily move on. If anything was to happen to my crew… then I don't know what I'd do." he said, before he looked up towards the mountain. "Well, shall we continue?"

Chris looked up at the mountain for a moment, before looking back at Zugai, nodding in approval. "The quicker we get to that doctor, the better." However, just as they were going to leave, they heard some noises coming from the woods; leaves rustling, twigs snapping, the works. "What the…"

"Maybe it's our monster." Zugai said, as he took a good grip on Honehakaisha, awaiting the sound to come out of the woods, as the rustling only approached them quicker and quicker. However, soon, they could also hear screaming. "Hm?"

And with that, three characters came crashing out of the woods, every one of them screaming, save for one. Once Zugai noticed just who the three were, he tilted his head in confusion; the first two were Ken and Silent (Silent, of course, being the one not to scream), as they were running away from a third person, though this one was different. While he was humanoid in shape, his entire body was covered in black fur, save for a white patch of fur on his back, on the tip of his cat-like ears, and on the tip of his tail. He also wore baggy pants, and his eyes, as Zugai quickly noted, were green.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, DUDE! IT'S THE MONSTER!" Ken yelled, as they both sped past Zugai, jumping on the tree, as they ran out towards the water, but not getting in contact with it. However, the third being didn't stop running until he accidentally bumped into Chris, sending both of them crashing into the ground. "Dude, be careful; that guy is ferocious!"

The third person growled, as he looked up at Ken, whilst hissing like a cat. "You talk like I'm some kind of animal, nya! That's kinda mean to say to someone you just met, nya!" he yelled at them, seemingly unaware that he was pressing Chris down into the ground, and just where his hands were pressing her down.

"Get your hands off my chest, you cat-thing!" Chris suddenly yelled, as she kicked off the cat-being from her, before quickly getting back up on her feet. "It's like the day of random people attacking you…" she muttered, as she brushed dust off her feet in annoyance.

Zugai, however, seemed to be more confused about Ken and Silent, rather than the cat-person. "Hey, what are you two doing?" he asked, as he motioned for the two to come back from the pond. "Why'd you bother following us?"

"Well, ya see, dude…" Ken began, as the pair began traversing the log back to land. "We figured out that, since you really need to see this doctor guy, we'd help you get to him." Soon, the pair had reached dry land, as Silent sat down on the tree, whilst Ken jumped off it, landing neatly in front of Zugai. "But then we kinda got sidetracked when we saw the monster, and in panic, we… had…" At this moment, Ken noticed the cat-person, who glared nastily back at him. "MONSTER!" he yelled in shock, as he quickly hid behind Silent, who didn't seem to mind the cat.

"You know, I have a name, nya!" the cat replied in annoyance, as he stood up on both his feet, looking at the group. "The name's Nero Kocka, nya. Pleased to meet you, nya." he said, as he suddenly bowed to the group, before standing upright again.

"Wait, hang on a sec…" Chris asked, as she looked over at Nero, who was now licking his arm for some reason. "…you've eaten a Devil Fruit, right?"

"Who, me, nya?" Nero responded, as he rubbed his chin whilst looking for an answer. "No, not really, nya." he added, as now, everyone but Silent looked at Nero with surprise.

"But if you haven't eaten a Devil Fruit…" Zugai began, as he approached Nero cautiously, eying his tail and ears. "Then what's with the weird look?"

Nero looked at Zugai warily, as he held his hands over his ears, taking one step away from Zugai. "Well, from what I can recall, my parents, two scientists specializing in Devil Fruit knowledge, had both eaten Zoan fruits that turned them into cats, nya. And… I guess they were in animal or hybrid form when they conceived me, nya." he said, as he rubbed his head whilst laughing mildly.

"Dude, your parents got busy as animals?" Ken asked, as he clapped his hands. "That's kinda awesome, when you think about it, dude!"

Nero stopped rubbing his head just then, as he looked into the ground. "It's not really that awesome in the long run, nya." he said somewhat depressed. "Since I had this form, I was constantly bullied by my peers, so whilst I grew up, I had no friends but the books I read, nya. And then, pirates attacked my village, killing my parents, who died for my safety… so I hid out here, in the woods, nya."

The group looked at Nero as he rubbed his nose with a single finger, as Ken seemed ready to burst into tears at any moment. "Dude… sorry, I shouldn't have said anything, should I?" he said, as he rubbed his eyes to eliminate any trace of tears.

"Oh, don't worry too much about that, nya." Nero said just as he noticed how gloomy the situation had become. "That was in the past, and I decided not to let my past come in the way of my dream, nya."

Chris tilted her head as she scratched his chin. "So… what is that dream of yours, then?" she asked, as Nero suddenly looked up at her, smiling brightly.

"My friends in the woods have told me of a story of a man cursed with the shape of an animal, but one day, he found a way to reverse this effect, nya! That's my dream; to find that way, and become a real human, nya." he replied, as he scratched his nose. "So, what brings you all to these woods, nya?"

Zugai quickly turned his gaze to see the mountain loom over them, still a fair distance away. "My crew is in need of medical attention, and we heard of a doctor living up on the mountain there, so we decided to get his help."

Nero looked up towards the mountain, before nodding. "The doctor, nya… Hey, may I give out a suggestion, nya?" he said, as he pointed his thumb at his own chest. "I can help you get up there in no time, nya; I've been up there hunting with cougars lots of times, nya."

Suddenly, Zugai brightened up, as he held his own hands together. "Would… would you help us get there, then?" he asked quite politely, as Nero merely laughed.

"Hey, dude, hang on a sec…" Ken spoke up, as he walked up to Nero, looking him squarely in the eye. "How are we supposed to know if you're just not after eating us for dinner, dude?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Ah, some people do wonder about that when I meet them, nya." Nero replied, as he put a hand on Ken's shoulder. "Then again, the woods are filled with wolf-daddies and bear-mommies ready to maul anyone coming close to their kids, so your best bet is to just let me help you out, nya."

Ken opened his mouth to reply, when he came to a realization; whilst he would be able to survive being mauled, the others were a different story. "…duly noted, dude." he replied, before looking over at Zugai. "Well, shall we go, dude?"

Zugai rubbed his chin a little, as he looked over at Chris and Silent, both of them nodding in approval. "Well, we have no time to lose, so lead the way, Nero!"

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Going through the woods with Nero in front was a whole lot simpler than the method Zugai and Chris had tried earlier, as Nero already knew every inch of the woods, making it simpler for him to lead them to the mountain. Once they arrived at the foot of the mountain, the group began advancing up a path carved out in the rock. "Some place up here, dude, they're building a path leading from the town to up the mountain, so that the townspeople won't disturb the animals in the woods." Ken said, as he looked around the area in fascination.

"Either that, or they don't want to get eaten alive, nya." Nero shot in, as he looked up the path they were walking. "Both work as reasons though, nya."

As Ken and Nero began talking about what measures the animals and townspeople would take if they encountered each other, Zugai and Chris were discussing something entirely different. "So, what do you think the doctor is like, Chris?" Zugai asked, as he rubbed his own chin to find an answer, whilst Chris thought up her own.

"My guess is that it's not a guy, as Ignacio guessed, but a girl." she said, as she turned her head to face Zugai. "And she can transform into a wolf, and is kind of shy in the long run, but when push comes to show, she'll fight a battle without ever admitting defeat."

"Really…" Zugai replied, as he scratched his head. "My guess is that it's some kind of middle-aged guy, who's kind of a Cyborg as well… and he has a Transylvanian accent to boot!"

"Well, I suppose we'll find out who's right when we get to the top, won't we, captain?" Chris replied with a snicker, before she looked over at Nero. "Hey, catboy, how far do we have to continue to get to him?"

"It's not that long now, nya!" Nero responded, as they got closer to some kind of plateau, where a house and a group of people were slightly visible. "See, it's right over there, nya!"

However, when Ken and Silent saw the group ahead, both of them grabbed Zugai, Chris and Nero, before hiding them behind a larger rock, which allowed them to see what was going on, while at the same time covering them. "Dudes, you have to be careful! That's a pirate crew, WAY out of your league, man."

Zugai wondered just what Ken meant by this, as he tried to get a good look at the situation by the house. "Come on, we have payment, so would you help us out, already?!" one of the men said, as Zugai could see someone standing right outside the door, observing the group.

Upon closer inspection, this someone's appearance was revealed; his hair was a mixture of brown and orange, and his eyes were a vibrant yellow. He wore a orange vest with a green T-shirt underneath, along with faded blue jeans, white shoes with the white visibly fading off it, and a pair of sunglasses. "I told you, I'm not helping out scum like you, so scram!" the man said, as he crossed his arms.

"Son of a- what kind of doctor are you supposed to be, anyway?!" one of the group men said, when a different man suddenly bowed before the doctor. "C-captain…"

"Please…" the captain whispered, without looking at this doctor. "We have money… just help us out, and we'll leave without a hassle…" he added, though the doctor visibly scoffed.

"Like I'll help out pirates like you!" the doctor suddenly yelled, as he kicked the bowing captain, sending him rolling a distance. "Scum like you can burn in hell!" he added, as he rushed at the captain, ready to attack him once more.

However, all of a sudden, the doctor would feel something heavy hit the right side of his face, as he was suddenly slammed into the ground. As it turned out, the captain had slammed an iron ball into the doctor's face, the ball connected to a tonfa. When Zugai's group got a better look at the captain, they saw that he was wearing a green T-shirt with a grey pair of pants and a grey jacket compromising his remaining outfit, the jacket having blue stripes running from the shoulders all the way to the wrists, coupled with a pair of red dragon adorning the front of the jacket. He also wore a grey headband with blue stripes added on it. "No luck here, either, men. Let's move out." the man said, as he turned to leave, followed by his crew, all of them dead silent.

As they passed by the hiding group, Chris blinked in shock upon seeing the form of the captain. "No way… I don't believe it. That was… Gin the Man-Demon?" she asked, as the crew was soon out of sight. "But… I thought he had died from being poisoned by Don Krieg!"

"Don't just listen to rumors, then, dude." Ken said, as he stepped out of hiding, before looking back at the fallen doctor. "Some think it was before or after Luffy became the Second Pirate King, but Gin eventually found a way to partially cure the poison… whilst he's not in danger of dying, the poison still lingers in his blood system, so just in case, he's spent the majority of his days on the Grand Line looking for a perfect cure."

Zugai said nothing, as the rest of the group stepped out of hiding, looking over at Ken. "A man like that, here…" he finally said. "I heard that he's the only one who's not a Straw-Hat or female that can actually best Black Leg Sanji in combat. That says a lot about your character."

"So, he's really strong, then, nya?" Nero asked, as he looked down the path, though the sound of paper ripping up brought him to reality. "Nya?"

The sound actually came from Silent, who had written something in his notebook, showing it to the group: "_I hate to be a bringer of facts, but maybe we should help out the doctor he practically smashed into a pulp?_" it read, which brought the group's gaze to the doctor, who was still lying on the ground. With that, the five of them suddenly ran towards the doctor to help him up, without noticing that Gin was actually in earshot of them, as he had heard and seen the five whilst they were talking.

"That boy… I'm sure I've seen him somewhere before…" Gin muttered to himself, as he continued down the path. "Don't tell me… he's that man's…?" he questioned, before taking out a wanted poster, checking out what it read. "…he could very well be that man's…" he muttered, as he kept on walking.

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**A/N: **Hope you all enjoyed this installment of the series! On to the characters; Nero is made by **Dthehalfdragon**, and the doctor is made by **SmashEd44**. Also, for those wondering, I think Gin is awesome, and that Oda really shouldn't kill off such a character. I mean, name me any other male other than Gin that could best Sanji in battle! Anyways, remember to read and review, and I'll see you for the next one!

**YolkaEd**


	38. The Search for a Doctor part 3

Out on the seas by Yokocho Island, a Marine vessel was headed towards the island. On that ship, several soldiers were busy keeping a look-out on the horizon, with one of them headed towards the captain's quarters. "Captain Bane, sir, we're approaching Yokocho Island!" he said, as he opened the door to the quarters.

The room was completely pitch-black, save for a small candle that burned gently on a table furthest inside of the room, where the silhouette of a man could be spotted. "That is good." the man said with a quite nasal, high-pitched voice, as he glanced back at the soldier, who seemed a little intimidated by the glare. "Now, you are sure that the Man-Demon is located there at this moment?" he asked, as he turned back towards the table.

"S-sir! The information given to us clearly points towards Yokocho Island, so unless there's been a shortage of trustworthy messengers, then-" The soldier was abruptly interrupted by something slamming into his head, sending him crashing into the wall. As the soldier looked at what hit him, it turned out to be some kind of finger, which suddenly shrunk away, into the captain's quarters.

"Fool." Bane said menacingly, as he didn't even bother looking at the soldier. "You cannot question the validity of a messenger; only the messages that they bear." he added, as he calmly yawned to himself.

"Ah, I-I see…" the soldier said, as he regained his composure. "You know, for a moment there, I was beginning to think that you just threw a small fit because I-" However, the soldier quickly stopped himself from talking when he could see Bane glare angrily at him from within the room. "I-I-I gotta go, sir!" he suddenly said, as he quickly ran away from the doorway.

Now left in solitude, Bane looked back at the table, where a small letter was placed. The letter seemed to have been written in a hurry, as in places, the ink had been smudged across a few letters, though not so much that it would be unreadable. Bane sighed, as he began reading the letter to himself; "Dear Nappy, you're a swell guy, so we were wondering if you could come and greet us when we arrive in the Grand Line. Oh, and Netok says hi. Signed, Kishikiyoi."

Scoffing, Bane shuffled the letter away, before rubbing his temples. "Oi vey… of all the captains of the Marine who would want an audience with me, it had to be that happy-go-lucky knight, hadn't it?" he sighed, but before he could move on to the next letter, he heard someone approach him from behind. "Now what?"

"S-sir… there appears to be a different pirate crew anchored on Yokocho Island…" the soldier stuttered, as he held out a wanted poster, which Bane quickly grabbed, before reading it.

"Hmph. Not nearly as noteworthy as the Man-Demon, but it'd be some exercise for the troops." Bane sighed, as he slammed the wanted poster on the table, revealing that it was Zugai's poster. "Prepare the troops."

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Search for a Doctor part 3**

**Painful Persuasions and Inconvenient Confrontations**

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His eyes slowly opened to see five people hovering over him; the first one had brown hair covering his left eye, the second one had a black hat covering his hair, the third one was dark-skinned with completely white eyes, the fourth one had simple, dark green hair, and the fifth was completely covered in black fur. "Guh… why do I keep getting visitors like this?" he muttered, as he quickly sat up, startling most of those surrounding him.

"Holy- you can still move after that?" Chris asked baffled, as she scratched her head. "I know that an attack like that would have shattered my skull in an instant, no matter how much I would want to live after it."

"For me, it's not really an issue, dude." Ken said, as he crossed his arms, when he felt something poking out of his right flank. Pulling it out, he found it to be his dagger again. "Sheesh, I can't believe how much this thing gets around." he muttered.

The doctor said nothing, as he only held his head in pain, when his hand fell upon the right side of his face, when he realized that the right lens of his sunglasses had been smashed to pieces by Gin's iron ball tonfa. "Hey, doc, you're not dead, are you, nya?" Nero asked curiously, making the doctor look up at the group.

Then, he suddenly broke into a smile. "I've had worse." he said cheerfully, as he quickly leapt up to his feet, still holding his head, though it was probably more out of annoyance than pain. "I don't think we've been introduced yet. The name's Ryozo Yamaguchi, and yours is?" he asked, looking at Zugai, not noticing the suspicious glare Silent gave him.

"Oh, well…" Zugai began, as he hesitantly reached his hand out for a shake. "My name's Zugai Hibiware. It's nice to meet you, Ryozo." he said, but upon seeing Ryozo's somewhat surprised expression made him a little worried. "Eh… you okay?" he asked.

"Who, me?" Ryozo quickly responded. "Yeah, totally!" Then, he suddenly pushed Zugai away from the rest of the group, looking at them with some degree of interest. "Well, what can I do for you four?"

Chris blinked a few times, as she pointed towards Zugai. "Well… he's the one looking for help, so I think you should ask him about it." she said, when Ryozo suddenly began laughing at the top of his lungs. "Uh… did I say something funny?"

Ryozo only continued laughing. "Of course you did! I mean, me, helping out a pirate? Inconceivable!" he laughed, as Zugai suddenly looked at the doctor in shock.

"What?" Zugai said in a baffled tone, as he grabbed the doctor's shoulder. "You're not being serious, are you?" he asked, as it became more apparent that he was getting somewhat worked up. "You're really not going to-"

"I told you, didn't I?" Ryozo quickly said, as he slapped Zugai's hand away, crossing his own arms. "Scum of the sea like you, begging for mercy? It's laughable." With a scoff, Ryozo turned away from the group. "Whatever your ailment is, consider it a fitting punishment for whatever crimes you have committed." Then, he began walking towards his house, when Zugai quickly grabbed his arm.

"Please, you have to listen!" Zugai yelled in desperation, as he and Ryozo began a tug of war with Ryozo's arm. "My crew… if you can't help out, then my crewmembers are gonna die!" However, just as he said this, Ryozo gave Zugai a kick to the ribs, sending the pirate flying away from him.

"So let them die, then!" Ryozo exclaimed angrily, glaring at Zugai. "I'm honestly surprised that scum like you could even worry about anyone at all, instead of merely thinking of them as meat shields! If your crew really means so much to you, then do them a favor and end their suffering!" With that, Ryozo stormed off, entering his house and shutting the door loudly after him.

The group could only watch in shock at the closed house, except for Zugai, who only looked into the ground, before standing up. "Zugai…" Chris began, but as Zugai began lumbering towards a cliff, she could do nothing but look. Then, he suddenly broke out into a loud scream of anguish, as he repeatedly slammed his fists into the ground, before finally subsiding, breaking out into short sobs. Upon seeing her captain break down like that, Chris walked towards him in order to comfort him. Though she could find no words to ease the pain, she calmly put a hand on his shoulder, though he didn't seem to notice at all.

"Nya…" Nero muttered, as he saw this transpire, before looking over at Silent and Ken, the former looking at the house, and the latter looking into the ground. Then, all of a sudden, Ken ran towards the house, looking quite pissed off. "W-wait, nya!" he yelled at Ken, but to little effect, as Ken immediately began hammering his fist against the closed door.

"LISTEN UP, DUDE!" Ken yelled, as he kept on slamming the door with his fists. "IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR ARROGANT ASS OUT HERE THIS INSTANT, THEN I'M GONNA HAVE TO DRAG YOU OUT THERE MYSELF, DUDE!" As he continued hammering, both Zugai and Chris looked at him hammering the door, whilst Nero and Silent remained motionless, only waiting for Ken to either give up or actually rip open the door. "DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME?! I SAID-"

Just as Ken was about to repeat his threats, a brown blade suddenly emerged from the back of his head, startling Zugai and Chris, whilst nearly giving Nero a heart attack (Silent, of course, remained neutral). "Would it be too much to ask if you could just shut up?!" Ryozo's voice called angrily, as the door was suddenly kicked off its hinges, sending it, Ken and the blade flying back towards Nero and Silent, before Ryozo himself emerged from the doorway. "If you don't want to die, then get lost! You're disturbing me in my studies!"

Nero looked down at Ken's fallen body, before looking back up at Ryozo, now looking quite mad. "What kind of a doctor are you, nya?!" he yelled, as he pointed his furry hands accusingly at the doctor. "People come seeking your aid, and you respond to their pleas with violence, nya? That makes you no better than a pirate, nya!"

Upon hearing this, Ryozo's eyes narrowed in anger, before pointing his right hand at Nero like it was a gun, with the index finger pointed at the cat-man, and his thumb acting like a barrel. "You're gonna wish you didn't say that, kitty. I'll have to put you down! Ishi Ishi no Boom!" As he said this, his hand turned into stone, when he suddenly bent his thumb, as a sharp rock shaped sort of like the blade of a dagger suddenly flew out of his index finger, the rock striking Nero's arm, forcing him to howl in pain.

"Ow, that hurts, nya!" Nero said in pain, as he clutched the wound the rock had caused. "What kind of ability is that, nya?!"

Ryozo scoffed, as he closed his eyes, as rocks suddenly began covering his arms, the hands growing to ridiculous sizes. "I ate the Ishi Ishi no Mi, so I'm a stone-man. But you can ask yourself that in your grave, when I've smashed you into a pulp! Ishi Ishi no Fist!" Then, all of a sudden, Ryozo ran at Nero, attempting to punch the cat-man with his fists of stone, but Nero was agile enough to get out of the way, just as Ryozo slammed his fists into the ground.

"If you do that, then at least have the decency to help out Zugai's crew, nya!" Nero yelled in response, as he suddenly leapt at Ryozo, grabbing on to his shoulders with his feet. "Neko Netsu!" he said, just as he began relentlessly scratching the doctor's face, though Ryozo didn't seem to take any damage from it.

"Stop messing around!" Ryozo said angrily, as his head suddenly turned into stone, preventing Nero from slashing him at all without damaging his own claws. "Ishi Ishi no Skull!" he yelled, as he suddenly slammed his head into the cat-man, forcing Nero to let go of him.

Just as he did this, however, Silent had lifted the door off Ken, though the blade still stuck in his mouth. "Dude, that was NOT cool." Ken said in annoyance, as he got up on his feet, looking at Ryozo, who seemed shocked that Ken was still alive. "Keep your stuff out of my mouth, because it's kinda painful having it shoved into your throat, dude." he added, just as he pulled the sword out of his head, examining it. "Hold the phone… dude, is this made outta stone?"

Just as Ken said this, however, Ryozo punched his hand into the ground, before pulling out a brown war hammer, the handle being just as long as Honehakaisha's, and the head being half the size of the blade of that axe. "Ishi Ishi no Warhammer." he said menacingly, as he glared over at Ken. "Now let go of my sword!"

Ken looked at Ryozo, before glancing at the sword. "Why should I, dude?" he replied, as he stuck his tongue out at Ryozo. "You got that large hammer thing, and if we're gonna fight, I want an even challenge, dude. So, whether you like it or not, I'm kee-" Before he could finish his sentence, Ryozo suddenly slammed the head of the hammer against Ken's head, actually sending it flying off his shoulders.

"NYAAAAAAAAA?!?!?!" Nero yelled in shock upon seeing this. "Just why did you do that, nya?!" he called to Ryozo, who only picked the sword up from Ken's lifeless body, before glaring at Nero.

"Because he wouldn't let go of my sword." Ryozo replied menacingly, before effortlessly swinging both the hammer and the sword in his hands. "Now, if you would kindly leave before you befall the same fate, then it'd be very appreciated." he added, as he looked down at Nero.

Growling, Nero suddenly leapt a small distance away from Ryozo, before turning to face him. "I'm not leaving until you decide to help my friends, nya!" Nero growled, as he suddenly ran towards Ryozo, when he began curling himself into a ball. "Kawa Pachinko!" he yelled, as he began bouncing towards Ryozo, but the doctor simply side-stepped the incoming cat.

However, all of a sudden, the bouncing ball stopped in its tracks, before resuming its path towards Ryozo, who seemed visibly annoyed at this point. "Guess you're going to have to go down, now." he muttered, as he lifted the hammer, prepared to slam it into Nero once he got into range, when he suddenly felt someone grab him from behind. Looking over his own shoulder, he saw to his shock that it was the headless body of Ken who restrained him. "Ergh- let go of me!"

Just then, the ball-formed Nero slammed into Ryozo, who, unable to dodge the attack, was sent flying, along with Ken's body. However, before they could collide with the ground, Ryozo grabbed hold of the ground underneath him with his right hand, which immediately made him stop flying, whilst Ken's body wasn't that lucky, as it crashed not too far from the path down to the forest. "I grow tired of your shenanigans." he muttered, as he suddenly placed his other hand into the ground, when he ripped his right hand out of the ground, holding a massive portion of the rock in it. "Ishi Ishi no…" he muttered, before suddenly throwing the rock into the air, when he grabbed hold of his sword, throwing it up at the rock. "Meteor Storm!"

As he said this, the sword collided with the rock, shattering both, sending a hail of rocks flying down at the battlefield, though luckily, Zugai and Chris were out of its range. Nero, on the other hand, wasn't all that lucky, as he only barely managed to avoid most of the rocks falling at him, with some striking his body in various places, though he held the pain inside of him, making sure not to be flattened by the larger rocks. "You're taking this way too far, nya!" he managed to say, before having to dodge another rock, but this left him vulnerable to a strike from Ryozo, who effortlessly slammed a foot into the cat-man, just as the rain of rocks subsided.

"You started it." Ryozo said menacingly, as he looked down at the fallen Nero, who only glared up at him in disgust. "And I'm ending it." he added, just as he lifted his foot to stomp the defenseless Nero into the ground. However, all of a sudden, he felt something bite his left arm, and turning his head, he saw that it really was Ken's decapitated head sinking his teeth into Ryozo's rock-hard skin. "Damn- let go!"

"Not…" Ken's head muttered, his speech slightly muffled by biting into Ryozo. "Until… you… help them!" Just as he said this, Ryozo felt something hard slam into his head, as Ken's body had picked up the war hammer, before slamming it into Ryozo's skull, shattering the hammer. Despite this, Ryozo seemed to only suffer a small headache.

"Dammit! Let go of me!" Ryozo said in anger, as he suddenly grabbed Ken's body from behind, before whipping it so that Ken's head let go of him, while at the same time striking Nero with it, sending the cat-man flying, before throwing the head after him. "Hmph… making me exert myself." he grumbled, just as he stuck his hand into the ground again, before pulling out yet another sword out of stone. "Ishi Ishi no Sword." Then, he began walking towards Zugai and Chris, the former only looking at Ken and Nero, and the latter glaring angrily at Ryozo. "Now, are you two gonna end up like those two, or are you gonna be good and go away?"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, Chris punched Ryozo's face, the doctor failing to block it in time, sending him staggering back a little. "Some kind of doctor you are! If you'd at least stop and listen to our story, then it would be better if you could say, 'Sorry, but I can't fix it', or some bullshit like that, but attacking someone just because you refuse to help pirates?" Then, she pointed angrily at Ryozo, who merely glared at her. "You don't even deserve to be called a pirate as an insult!"

There was a moment of silence, as Ryozo merely stood his ground, glaring at Zugai and Chris. "…so I'm gonna have to kill you." he muttered, as he raised the hand that held his stone sword, looking more calm now than before. "Shame, but you did ask for it."

However, just before he could bring the sword down on them, someone grabbed his arm, and in annoyance, he spun around to see Silent holding a firm grip on his arm. "Oh, now what?!" he yelled in exasperation, as he tried getting out of Silent's grip, to no avail.

"Wait, Silent!" Zugai suddenly said, as Silent looked over at him. "Please… if he doesn't want to help us, then it's nothing that you three should get involved in. It's my business, and not yours, so…" he began, but before he could continue, Silent showed him a note that he had apparently written before engaging Ryozo in battle.

"_If your crew really means that much to you, then you shouldn't give up after only one try._" it read, something that seemed to startle Zugai, but that wasn't the only thing that the note read. "_Besides, I have things I want to ask this Ryozo._" Then, Silent threw the note away, before placing his free hand against Ryozo's head, which seemed to put the doctor into some kind of trance, as his eyes went blank for a moment, just as his sword dropped from his hand.

For those observing, it would seem that Ryozo had somehow become catatonic without any given reason, but for Ryozo himself, he now found himself in some mysterious, dark place, with nothing but his own presence there creating light for him to see. "Where… where am I?" he asked himself, when suddenly, a bright flash of light occurred before him, forcing him to cover his eyes.

When he opened them, he found himself looking at a child, but the strange thing about it was that it reminded him far too much of what Silent looked like. "Good day to you, Mister Yamaguchi." the kid said in a strangely adult voice. "How are you feeling at the moment?"

Ryozo looked around at his surroundings, before looking back at the boy. "I feel mad, mostly because pirates keep on coming to my doorstep, asking for help." Scoffing, he looked away from the kid. "What would they know about suffering, other than the fact that they cause nothing but the sort when they go on their plundering quests?"

The kid sighed upon hearing this, before turning away from Ryozo. "You feel that they should suffer, just because you once did?" he said calmly, his voice now turning even older, as if he was some old sage speaking instead of a young adult. "That seems to be a petty reason not to help anyone."

As he said this, however, Ryozo quickly grabbed the kid, looking him squarely in his white, almost unfeeling eyes. "Just how did you learn of that?!" he said angrily, as he shook the boy. "And just where are we?!"

The boy began to chuckle somewhat, the voice now becoming more child-like. "I just know. I know everything, you know." he said, as he brushed off Ryozo's hands from his body. "We're inside of your subconscious, using a method developed long ago, during the Void Century. I took you here to witness something you've tried to bury, along with your past… Shibun Tsurijioro."

As Ryozo's eyes widened in shock upon hearing that name, the darkness around them began twisting itself, creating images and sounds that seemed to have a profound effect on the doctor. Hundreds of voices were calling for him, cursing him, scolding him, telling him that nothing would befall him, berating him, along with a myriad of images involving death. All of these images and voices penetrating his mind caused Ryozo to cover his head, trying to hide away from them. "Stop it! Stop it, already! Just what do you want with me?!" he yelled, as he looked at the kid, who merely chuckled, but now it had turned back into an adult voice.

"I wanted you to see this man once more." the kid said, as he suddenly snapped his fingers, when everything went dark once again, save for a lone person standing a distance away from Ryozo and the kid. The man wasn't facing them, but he was wearing a long, yellow robe adorned with red lines, symbols and images of dragons, sort of what a emperor would be wearing, along with normal-sized, brown hair. However, after a few seconds, the hair turned black, and its shape became more like Akira's hair. "That man… the one you've swore vengeance against… Minkan Hitogoroshi."

Ryozo could only gape as he saw this new man, who didn't seem to notice the two of them. "What… how the hell did you know of him?" he asked baffled, as the kid laughed again, but his voice had become like an old man again.

"I told you, I know everything." the kid said, before looking a little more seriously at Ryozo. "Listen, I know what you've gone through, but taking it out on others is not the way to solve it. You want revenge against that man, do you not?" Then, the kid carefully put his hand against Ryozo's head, as the darkness far away from them slowly became swallowed by light. "Then this crew may be your ticket to granting you that revenge." Before Ryozo could question the kid about this, the light suddenly engulfed everything around them.

At that moment, back into reality, Silent let go of Ryozo's head, as the doctor suddenly collapsed on his knees, heaving for his breath. "H-hey, what happened?" Zugai asked quite baffled, as he got back up on his feet, looking down at Ryozo.

Ryozo didn't respond, as he instead held a hand before his face again, thinking about just what Silent had done to him, as well as the image of that man. "I…" he muttered, just as he noticed Ken and Nero getting back up on their feet, with Ken putting his head back where it belonged, which naturally shocked Nero. Then, he looked up at Zugai and Chris. "…so, what can I be of assistance with?" he said, before slowly getting up on his feet.

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A cannon ball was suddenly slapped out of the air by a wave of water, sending it crashing into the sea. The wave had come from Jin, who seemed quite annoyed, as Maria and Shin stood behind him, their weapons at the ready. "Of all the times the Marine decides to come get us, they pick the least opportune moment of all!" he said angrily, as he looked around him, to see a myriad of Marine soldiers surrounding them.

"No matter what we do, we can't let these creeps get to the sick bay." Shin muttered, as she pointed her Espada Ropera at the soldiers so that they wouldn't get too close. "We're not letting them get there, even if we have to give up our lives!"

"R-right!" Maria said with a slightly shaken-up voice, as she spun the three-sectioned staff with some skill, looking at all the soldiers around them. "We… we have to hold on until Zugai and Chris returns!" With that, the three ran into the horde of soldiers, mowing them down with their respective attacks.

On the Marine vessel not too far from Howling Moon, a man was looking at the battle taking place. As it turned out, the man was wearing a standard Marine captain uniform, with the one thing sticking out being a bicorne hat sitting on his head, covering his brown, slicked back hair. Another thing noteworthy about him was his size, standing at a mere four feet. "For not being wanted, they can really pack a punch." he said in a nasal, high-pitched voice, as he pointed at one soldier standing by him. "You there; prepare the sea-stone single-man net for the Water Lord, and make sure to capture these pirates alive."

The soldier hesitated for a moment, before suddenly saluting the shorter Marine. "Y-yes, captain Napoleon Bane, sir!" he said, before running away from the scene. Then, Bane looked back at the fight, before sighing.

"This day may have proven itself to be worthwhile, after all." he said with a sigh, before crossing his arms. "Now, let's see if the Demon's Orthopedic decides to join the fight, or not."

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**A/N: **Right, sorry for the delay, so I hope that the fight makes up for it somewhat. Now, Napoleon Bane is created by **Nezumimaru**, and Minkan Hitogoroshi is made by **SmashEd44**- well, the name and his history with Ryozo, at least. Well, remember to read and review, then, and I'll see you later!

**YolkaEd**


	39. The Search for a Doctor part 4

As Silent and Nero waited outside of Ryozo's house, Zugai, Chris and Ken were inside of it, observing Ryozo's actions as he examined the syringes containing the antidote. "Hrm… where have I seen this before?" the doctor muttered, as he shook the syringe.

"Well, if it helps, then they're supposed to be antidotes to some poison from a Sky Island." Chris said, as she couldn't help but notice the numerous books lying spread about around them on the floor. "I'm not sure what exactly this poison is like, but-" she added, when Ryozo suddenly pointed down on the floor next to her.

"Could you please fetch me that book?" he said in a relaxed tone, without looking away from the syringe he held. Looking down, Chris noticed one book reading 'Foreign Diseases and Their Counterparts'. With a shrug, she picked it up, and handed it to Ryozo. "Ah, thanks."

"Dude, who wrote this book?" Ken asked, as he inspected the cover of it whilst Ryozo skimmed through it. "Because it's gotta be tough for one guy to write an entire book about nothin' but foreign diseases."

Ryozo briefly looked up from the book at Ken, before returning his gaze to the book. "That one guy just happens to be Tony Tony Chopper, doctor of the Straw Hat crew." he said dryly, as he pointed his finger at one page, scanning the text.

"So, Chopper wrote this?" Zugai asked, as he tried looking over Ryozo's shoulder to see what he was looking for, but the doctor only had to gently shove Zugai's head away. "Why do you suppose he did that?"

"Well, probably because he didn't want his knowledge to die along with him, should that day ever come." Ryozo responded, as he snapped his fingers, before continuing to skim the book for details. "Of course, there's also a rumor going on about Nami wanting a quick buck off the profit Chopper would earn from the sales, so she distributed it. But hey, that's only a rumor."

As Ryozo continued searching the book, Zugai took a quick glance outside, to see that Silent was observing the horizon quite stoically, and Nero sitting on all fours like a cat would, looking in the same direction. Then, a sudden exclaiming sound brought his attention back to Ryozo. "I found it! The poison is known as Death Without Honor, if translated roughly from the language people from the sky use. It's given this name because it knocks out anyone who's infected with it, thus making it impossible for the infected to die in battle."

Chris tilted her head, as she looked in the book where Ryozo had found this information. "So… how does that help us?" she asked curiously.

"Like this." Ryozo replied, as he picked up another book from the floor, before skimming through it, stopping at a certain page. "The poison works in the same way as a benzodiazepine overdose, so while it may have been created from different materials, I could create more of it using extracts from these doses, along with some flumazenil!"

Immediately upon hearing this, Zugai brightened up. "That's fantastic! But where are you gonna find flumazenil, anyway?" he asked, as he looked at the various beakers spread out on the table.

"I'll just have to make some. It's gonna take a while, so be patient." Ryozo responded, but just before Zugai could agree upon this, he held out a finger to Zugai. "And I'll have it done at least before five days have passed, so don't worry."

Outside, Silent's gaze had crossed the town where the Howling Moon was anchored, but something happening there seemed to have drawn his concern. "Hey, Silent, what do you see, nya?" Nero asked him, as he began pulling at Silent's pants, but naturally, he got no response. "Hey, c'mon, that's rude, nya…" he sighed, as he looked back towards the horizon. Silent, on the other hand, frowned as he continued observing the events transpiring there…

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Search for a Doctor part 4**

**Bane, Seeker of Worthy Opponents**

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"Come and get some!" Jin exclaimed, as he charged head-first into a band of Marines just waiting to get a piece of him. The first one to attack was rather meek, and he seemed pretty nervous about charging head-on at Jin, even with a cutlass in hand. This made the pirate smirk, as he effortlessly grabbed the arm holding the blade, before twisting it, forcing the Marine to his knees.

Just then, a pair of Marines charged at him, both of them wielding cutlasses as well, though they didn't seem to be frightened at all. "Looks like some of you aren't that green, after all." Jin said calmly, just as the Marines swung their weapons at him. However, with a mere jerk of his wrist, from the ground beneath him, two jets of water shot straight into the Marines, sending them flying into the sea.

"DIE!!!" he heard someone yell, just as he sidestepped a rather large club being slammed into the ground. Expecting to see a larger soldier holding the club, Jin was genuinely surprised when he saw that it was really a woman, and that she was only a head taller than Chris. Despite this, the girl swung her club at Jin again, though this time, she swung it horizontally, forcing Jin to jump.

In the air, however, Jin lifted one arm up to the sky, as a sphere of water formed in his palm. "Mizu Mizu no Bullet!" he yelled, before hurling the sphere at the female soldier, who was prepared to throw her club right up at Jin. However, the sphere struck her before she could accomplish this, propelling her away from the club, which dropped to the ground.

Just then, Jin felt something pierce his shoulder, as he fell to the ground, though he landed neatly on his feet, before spinning around to see a Marine clutching a rifle, the barrel smoking from a freshly-fired shot. Without a second thought, Jin rushed at the soldier before he could finish reloading, and promptly kicked the soldier into the air, but before he could land, Jin unleashed a hail of punches at his back, though his fists weren't strengthened by water. "Corpo Colapso: Rosto Batida!" Jin yelled, just as the man finally seemed to fall to the ground, but only a few feet from reaching the ground, Jin slammed his fist into the soldier's face, creating a small crater in the ground.

Just as he did this, he felt something pierce his other shoulder, but this time, it wasn't a bullet, but a dagger. As he expected to see someone smaller wielding this weapon, just as it was pulled out of his shoulder, Jin spun around, only to be met by a larger Marine, this one being male with a Dirty Sanchez moustache. Before the marine could stab him again, however, Jin clasped his hands together, and just as the soldier jabbed the dagger at him, he spun underneath it, before delivering a massive blow to the man's chin with his cupped hands, and as the man fell down, he threw a kick at him, spinning him around so that his back was exposed, letting Jin unleash yet another hail of punches at the man's back, though now, water strengthened his fists.

Before he could punch the Marine's face into the ground, he heard a troop of soldiers cock their rifles, and as the larger man collapsed to the ground, Jin saw that several soldiers were aiming at him. "Fire all!" they called, before quickly shooting at Jin, who only got enough time to create a barrier of water before his head, just as the bullets struck his left leg and abdomen.

However, Jin didn't seem to mind this, even as blood began pouring out of his newly-acquired wounds. In fact, he even closed his eyes, before looking into the ground. "Waterfall." he muttered, just as it became apparent to the soldiers that the blood coming out of his wounds turned into a clearer color, as if it was water. Then, Jin suddenly ran straight at the Marines, clotheslining two of them with his arms outstretched, before grabbing the leg of a third one, spinning it around him, making the soldier knock down those who surrounded him. "Corpo Colapso: Destruidor Em Torno De A Relógio!" he yelled, just as he flung the Marine away from him, into the ocean.

As he did this, he heard the sound of blades clashing, and spinning around, he saw Shin locked in combat with a marine holding two katana against her Espada Ropera. "Hey, Shin, need some help?" he called, just as he grabbed one Marine by his chest, before slamming the soldier into the ground with a suplex-like move.

"No, I'm fine over here!" Shin replied, just as she drew her dirk with her free hand, before stabbing at the soldier's hand, forcing him to drop one of the katana he held, giving her enough time to slash him across his chest with her sword, making him fall to the ground. "Alright, who's next?"

Just as she said this, a red-headed, larger Marine with sideburns flew at her, prepared to throw a punch at her, but luckily, she ducked away from it, before stabbing his leg with her dirk. "Guh… heh, you're a quick one, girl." the Marine said, as he shook his hands a little. "But now, prepare yourself to face the power of the Nuki Nuki no Mi!" he said menacingly, though Shin looked more confused than frightened. "Eh… what's wrong?"

"…what kinda powers do you get from that?" Shin finally asked. "The power to go into battle without being troubled by fatigue, or something?" she said, before turning away from the larger man. "It's got to have something to do with the word 'without'…" she muttered, not noticing that the Marine got an angered look on his face.

"DON'T TAKE ME FOR A FOOL!" he suddenly yelled, just as his left hand turned into a pincer, which he tried to clamp around Shin's neck, had she not blocked it with her Espada at the last moment. "You'd better be careful, girl; this pincer contains a powerful venom that will melt off a human's skin in less than a minute!" the man said menacingly, as the two fought for supremacy.

"But… does it work on weapons?" Shin asked neutrally, but when she did, the Marine got a slightly shocked look on his face, indicating that this venom only worked on actual living beings. With a sigh, she gave the man's leg a good kick, and since her dirk still was lodged into it, the Marine couldn't help but yelp in pain, giving Shin time to escape from the pincer, before slamming the hilt of her Espada into his gut, forcing him to slump on the ground.

"Aah, looks like you got some spunk, lady." she heard someone say behind her, and as she turned around, she saw a bespectacled man standing before her, pushing his glasses up his nose with his pinky fingers. "More so than most of those who have encountered our captain's squadron." he said with a grin.

Shin frowned as she looked upon this marine, as she rested her Espada against her shoulder. "And I suppose you like those kinda women, eh?" she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice, before pointing her sword at him. "Well, too bad, because I don't like your looks!"

"Understandable." the Marine said in response, as his body began convulsing. "But I'd like to see if you remain as adamant when you face the Mushi Mushi no Mi…" As he spoke, he slowly grew taller, as several smaller arms shot out of his body, which began turning an orange hue. Soon, the Marine stood several feet taller than Shin, as his body looked quite similar to a centipede, though his head was still sort of visible, with a pair of antennas having sprouted from his forehead. "…Model Centipede."

Shin could only gape as she looked up at the taller Marine, before suddenly yelling in shock. "CENTIPEDE!!!" she yelled, as she began shuddering, before quickly retreating back to Howling Moon. "I hate centipedes; they're so gross!" she could be heard yelling, leaving the Marine dumbstruck.

"H-hey! Get back here!" the Marine yelled, as he began pursuing Shin towards the ship, still in his hybrid-centipede form. "Running away from your enemy is disgraceful, you know!" he yelled, just as he got close to Howling Moon, but before he could attack Shin on the deck, a trap door in the deck opened, letting a giant fly swatter suddenly pop out of it, slamming into the soldier, who dropped down onto the ground in shock at this attack completely out of the blue.

"Huh…" Shin muttered, as she looked down at the Marine, who began turning back into his human form. "I guess installing this wasn't such a waste of time, after all." she added, as the fly swatter automatically began reeling itself back into the deck, as the trap door closed itself after it. "I'll have to thank Nampu for suggesting it when he wakes up." With that, she drew her sword, and leapt off the Howling Moon, running back into the fray.

As this went on, Maria had to fight against a few soldiers wielding cutlasses, though the size of Honetsukon made it sort of awkward for her to properly fend off the incoming sword-swings, resulting in her stumbling away from them only a few inches from striking her. "For being a fishwoman, she fights like a crab!" one of the younger soldiers she fought against said cockily, just as he attempted to stab her, though she dived away from it, just in time to clumsily block a strike from a different cutlass, wielded by a slightly older Marine.

"Don't be overconfident; pirates are not to be taken lightly!" the older soldier said to the younger in a chastising tone, before he swung his sword at Maria repeatedly, but the more he swung it at her, the easier it became for her to block the strikes properly with the three-sectioned staff. Just as the Marine was about to stab his sword at her, she quickly delivered a spinning kick to the man's face, sending him flying towards the younger soldier.

"P-Petty Officer!" the younger soldier yelled in panic, just as he narrowly dodged the man flying past him. With a deadly glare, he suddenly lunged at Maria. "How dare you do that to him, pirate scum?!" he yelled, just as he tried cutting Maria's legs, but she swiftly leaped over him.

"I-I'm really sorry!" she stuttered, just as she closer her eyes, before swinging Honetsukon at the Marine, hitting his face, thus sending him propelling towards where she had launched his superior officer. As she landed and opened her eyes, she widened them in shock. "Oh- oh no! I'm sorry about that as well!" she yelled apologetically at the soldier, unaware that she was standing next to the fallen pincer-man, who slowly got up from being attacked by Shin.

"Guh… damn girl… if our captain didn't want 'em alive, I'd-" he muttered, just as he noticed Maria looking towards where she had sent the two Marines flying. "Hmph… not what I had in mind, but it'll have to do." he said, just as both his hands turned into pincers, before he lunged at Maria with a battle-cry.

Luckily for Maria, the yell allowed her to notice that she was under assault, and in desperation, grabbed the middle section of Honetsukon, spinning it so that the two other sections connected with the man's pincers, saving her from being grabbed by them. "D-Devil Fruit?" she stuttered, as she tried repelling the larger Marine.

"You can bet your apron on that, girl." the Marine replied, as he began grinning wickedly. "But sadly, I'm gonna have to render you inconvenienced for the remainder of the fight, but don't hold it against me; it's just my job." Then, slowly, his mouth turned into a pair of pincers as well, just as shot his head forward to strike Maria whilst she was practically defenseless.

However, Maria, completely frightened by the sight of the Marine's mouth sprouting a pair of pincers, let out a shriek of terror, just as she instinctively shot her right leg upwards in self-defense, striking the man's crotch with the sound of rocks being smashed accompanying the blow, forcing the Marine to stop his assault, as he could only stand in complete and utter pain from the attack. After a while, Maria realized just where she had kicked, and dropped both her weapon and her foot to the ground. "Oh- oh my goodness! I-I'm terribly, horribly sorry for-" she stuttered, just as the man collapsed on his back, his body comically frozen in rigor.

Before she could get a chance of helping him to his feet, she heard another battle-cry coming from behind her, and as she spun around, she saw two men and a woman rushing at her, all three of them holding spears. "Your days are over, pirate! No one strikes our Chief Warrant Officer like that and gets away with it!" they yelled simultaneously, just as they prepared to ram them into Maria's body. Luckily, as they stabbed them forward, Maria ducked underneath the incoming spears, before she grabbed Honetsukon, giving her time to slam it into the Marines legs, sending them crashing into the ground.

However, that wasn't enough to keep them down for long, as they quickly got up just as Maria did, though by that time, three Marines had gotten behind her, aiming their rifles at her. "End of the line, pirate!" the female spear-carrier called, but before the spear-wielding Marines could charge at Maria, the sound of water gushing from behind them stopped them in their tracks, just as they were blown away by a torrent of water, flying past Maria and into the gun-wielding Marines.

"Hey, Maria, you okay over there?" Jin's voice called, as Maria saw the navigator of their crew brush dust off his jacket, apparently not noticing the wounds on his body.

"I-I guess…" Maria stuttered, before she suddenly shook her head. "B-but more importantly, you need to have those wounds covered up, Jin!" she said, just as she heard more Marines rush at her from behind.

"Maybe I can get the doctor Zugai and Chris went looking for to fix me up?" Jin replied with a slight snicker, before holding his hand out at Maria, its palm pointing at her. "Now don't panic; this won't hurt ya at all." he said reassuringly, just as a torrent of water shot out of his palm, aimed straight at Maria, who was sent flying towards the incoming Marines by the water torrent.

However, instead of being launched away by the water, Maria found herself surrounded by the water, as were the Marines, who looked just as bewildered as she did. What was the strangest about this was the fact that the Marines seemed to be surrounded by bubbles filled with air, whereas Maria was not. Eventually, she figured out that they were actually encased within a sphere of water. _This… this is…_ Maria thought, as she realized what Jin had done; by leaving her within water, he had given her a massive advantage in battle. _I… With this, I can… My apologies! _she thought, just as she delivered a kick to one of the Marine soldiers, the water not doing anything to make her attack less effective, as the unfortunate Marine was sent flying straight out of the sphere. Seeing this, the remaining Marines desperately tried to swim out of it before Maria could attack them.

Just then, however, the sphere suddenly collapsed in on itself, causing Maria and the Marines to topple to the ground. "Right, I think we'll say that the entertainment's gone on long enough." a nasal, high-pitched voice said, just as Maria turned around to see Jin lying on the ground, constrained in a net made out of Sea-Stone. Just then, she turned back to see Shin being surrounded by several Marines, before she too was surrounded. "Now, let us talk business." Hearing the voice again, Maria turned to where it came from, revealing Bane standing on a couple of boxes to make him look taller, with the pincer-man and centipede-man standing by him, both rubbing their temples in pain. "Where is the Demon's Orthopedic, and the remainder of your crew?"

The pirates on the field looked at each other as best they could, before Shin cleared her throat. "Well… most of our crew is sick, and Zugai went to find a doctor." she said, and after a brief moment of silence, most of the Marines broke out in laughter.

"Sick pirates? That's got to be the best joke I've heard all day!" one of them said, as Jin gritted his teeth in anger, the net preventing him from using his powers to break free.

"What, they entered the Grand Line without a doctor?" another could be heard saying, as Maria looked at the various laughing Marines, her expression clearly indicating that she was uncomfortable.

"Maybe it's scurvy! If so, then they should replace their chef!" a third one said, as Shin could only look into the ground, as she clenched her fists in anger.

"If they're sick, then it's the best chance we could get of killing them!" a fourth Marine said, and Maria would remember this as being the cocky one who she had knocked away earlier. "I say we board the ship and get 'em!" he added, as most of the Marines began cheering for this to take effect.

Just then, however, a gigantic fist shot out from nowhere, and punched the Marine into a wall, completely silencing the field. "FOOL!" the nasal voice of Bane yelled, as the fist began shrinking, and as the pirates followed the shrinking arm with their eyes, they saw that the arm actually belonged to Bane. "Such thoughts are for barbarians, only!" he scoffed, before brushing dust off his jacket. "So, you're saying that your captain is off looking for a doctor?" he asked Shin, though his tone was quite cynical.

"Y-yeah…" Shin replied, as she noted just how frightened the different Marines seemed of Bane, despite his… diminutive stature. "He and another crewmember of ours went to look for a doctor just when we arrived here. I'm not sure when they'll be back, but-" Before she could finish her sentence, Bane cleared his throat quite loudly, as to divert attention to himself.

"If that is the case, then I'll grant you an ultimatum." Bane began, as his gaze slowly drifted towards the mountain. "Your freedom depends solely on your captain at this point; if he doesn't arrive here in five minutes, or fails to defeat me in combat, then your entire crew, captain excluded, will be brought to Marine HQ for imprisonment. However, if he would happen to defeat me, then the entire crew will go free for today…" he said, as his entire mass suddenly began to expand, as he grew from being as tall as a child to being half as tall as a giant. "But thus far, few have defeated Napoleon Bane, King of Giants, in honest combat." he then said in a booming voice that shook the ground, even as he spoke. "Now, line them up."

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Up on the mountain, Silent had seen this entire scene take place, before proceeding to quickly, yet neatly, write something in his notebook. Nero, being practically bored out of his skull, couldn't help but try to peer over Silent's shoulder as he wrote, only to be pushed aside. "Oh, come on, nya! First you neglect my questions, and now I can't see what you're writing, nya! Just what is so secret that I can't hear of it, nya?" Instead of answering that, Silent merely showed Nero what he had written, which caused the catman to widen his eyes in surprise. "Oh… that's not good, nya." was all Nero could utter, as Silent casually folded the message into a paper-plane, before throwing it through the open door of Ryozo's house.

Without any of the people inside the house noticing it, the note finally crashed into one of Ken's stab-wounds, and as the sudden jolt of his nerves being poked rose through his body, Ken pulled it out, and intrigued, began reading it. "Lesse…" he muttered to himself, just as his eyes widened. "Woah… dudes, you might wanna check this out." he said, as he tried garnering Zugai's, Chris' and Ryozo's attention, to little avail. "Hey, this is serious, dude!" he said a little louder, but still, no reaction. "Hey! Listen!" he suddenly called, as he slapped the back of Zugai's head with the paper.

"Hey, hey, give it a rest, Ken…" Zugai said with a sigh, as he looked at Ken, who was now holding the paper out to him. "And what's this?" he asked, as he grabbed the note, before reading it a little, though when he did, he seemed quite shocked. Then, without any warning, Zugai ran out of the house with a blinding speed, something that startled the group inside the house.

"Zugai!" Chris called, as she watched her captain run off. "Just what was that about?" she asked, when she looked down to the floor, just as she noticed the note lying on the ground, it having been dropped by Zugai. As she picked it up and read it, her facial expression clearly showed surprise.

"_I'd hate to be a killer of moods, but the Marines seem to have surrounded your ship. They're being lead by Napoleon Bane, a man known for his power amongst the Marines. I'd hurry down there and fend him off."_ it read.

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**A/N: **Right, first off, sorry for the late update, but general writer's block and summer job has taken time away from me. So, prepare yourselves for an intense finale to the adventures on Yokocho Island in the next chapter, so until then, remember to read and review!

**YolkaEd**


	40. The Search for a Doctor part 5

Down at the harbor, Maria, Shin and Jin had been lined up by the side of Howling Moon (though Jin had to be helped up a few times, as he was trapped in the sea-stone net), as a squad of Marines aimed at them with their rifles. Shin scoffed, as she turned her gaze to Napoleon, who had shrunk to his regular size, discussing something with the pincer-man and the centipede-man. "Hey, I thought you were gonna just imprison us, not execute us!" she said, as that caught Bane's attention, who only glanced at her with a bored look.

"That is correct." he replied, before turning away from Shin again. "The rifles are only loaded with a highly effective sedative, which will knock you unconscious for three days. More than enough to keep you out of business until we get to headquarters, I'd say." Then, he looked up at the centipede-man, who once again pushed up his glasses with his pinky fingers. "Nuccali, I'm expecting you to stay in line. Keep yourself away from the prisoners, in any form. Understood?"

Nuccali merely nodded, as he took a brief glance at Shin, who couldn't help but stick her tongue out at him. "Of course, captain. But I'll assume that the same goes for Ahmar as well?" he asked, as he motioned towards the red-headed Marine, who only scoffed.

"At least I know my place, unlike certain bugs in the system." Ahmar replied, as he scratched at his ear, when he suddenly froze. "Eh?"

Nuccali blinked upon seeing Ahmar react like that. "What are you doing now? Don't tell me you got some of that acid stuck between your ears?" he said snidely, just as he heard something, reminiscent of buzzing. "What the…"

Soon, everyone heard some kind of buzzing. Whilst most of the Marines, Nuccali and Ahmar included, just looked around in confusion, Shin and Jin seemed to smile somewhat in relief (with Maria joining in a short while after them), and even Bane couldn't help himself from grinning, as he pushed Ahmar and Nuccali away, looking towards the town. "He's here."

"HONEHAKAISHA JOKER ROULETTE!" they heard someone yell, just as something spinning shot out from behind one of the buildings, homed in on Bane. However, before the spinning attacker could connect, Bane's right arm grew to gigantic proportions, just as he struck against the spinning object, sending it flying into the same building it had jumped away from.

"Tsch." Bane scoffed, just as his arm grew to normal size, but now, they could see that a small cut was on his hand. "Nothing more than a scratch." he muttered, before he got a good look at the one he had sent flying, only to reveal Zugai stepping out of the building, holding Honehakaisha at the ready. "Still, I am surprised that you got here so quickly, with fifteen seconds left of your time limit, to boot."

"Of course!" Zugai replied, as he pointed the labrys at the shorter Marine, even though he had no idea what he meant by 'time limit'. "You're the one in charge? Well, you'd best leave my crew alone, or I'll pound you into the ground!"

As he said this, he suddenly noticed Bane growing in size, until he was around Zugai's height. "Don't be so sure about that. Few have managed to pound me into the ground, and even then, I've always returned the favor." he said in a slightly deeper voice, though it wasn't as deep as when he was half a giant's size. "Now, let's see whether the Demon's Orthopedic or the King of Giants is the stronger. Come at me with all you have, boy!"

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Search for a Doctor part 5**

**Departure from the Island of Miracles!**

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"Why would the Marines come after us, anyway?" Chris asked, as she and Ken now were outside with Silent and Nero, discussing this turn of events. "I mean, our bounties combined only barely passes over Roronoa Zoro's second bounty, so why would Grand Line Marines actively pursue us?"

Silent merely shrugged, before saying something in hand language, something that Ken began translating. "He's saying that the captain of that ship, Napoleon Bane, often seeks out worthy opponents amongst random pirates, and for the most part, he decimates them utterly with his Chita Chita no Mi. But he also says that he might have been looking for some bigger fish, and that you dudes just happened to come between them."

Chris scratched her forehead, as she wondered just who this Bane could have been searching for, before snapping her fingers. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "He must've been on the look-out for Gin, and just so happened to come across our crew!" After she said that, she shook her head. "But we can't just stand around here; we have to help Zugai!"

Nero suddenly tensed, as he shuddered slightly. "Against the King of Giants, nya?" he said in a slightly frightened tone. "You'd be better off trying to escape from Vice-Admiral Smoker than Bane, nya!"

Growling slightly, Chris shot a glance down at the harbor, which seemed peaceful for now. "But we have to help him out somehow! I know that Zugai's going to take on Bane, but I'm not letting those Marines take down someone sick!"

"D-dude, you might wanna reconsider that…" Ken said, as he too looked down at the harbor. "I heard that Bane once took down an entire pirate crew consisting of nothing but giants, by himself! Some people even say that he could rival the Second Pirate King, had he still been alive!"

"Those are nothing but rumors!" Chris snapped back, causing Ken to back away a little. "I don't give two rats asses if this Marine could take on the Continent-Puller Oz, but I'm not letting him take my crew anywhere!" Just as she said this, however, the group could feel the earth shake, and as they turned to the harbor, they could see a humongous cloud of dust rise from the ground.

"Dude…" Ken uttered, before shaking his head. "Look, even if we tried getting to them, we wouldn't get down from the mountain and out of the forest in time to stop that guy!"

Chris gritted her teeth, as they felt another tremor, just as another dust cloud billowed from the harbor. "Zugai…" she muttered, just as she heard a door slam behind them, and as the group turned around, they saw Ryozo, holding four syringes in his hands.

"They're done." he said, as he looked down towards the harbor, making a tsk-sound as he shook his head. "And not a moment too soon, I'd say. You guys need to get down? I can help you with that."

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Zugai quickly leapt out of the way of an incoming fist, though it was fairly gigantic, crushing the ground it struck upon impact. "This guy's something else…" Zugai muttered, as he swung Honehakaisha, preparing for any possible attacks.

As it turned out, Bane had greatly increased the size of his arms (though he remained the same height as Zugai elsewhere), in order to hammer down Zugai with this increased advantage. "What's wrong, boy? That all you have?" he said snidely, just as he reeled his right arm back for a punch, throwing it directly at Zugai.

Zugai, however, lightened his bones in less than a few seconds, before leaping over the incoming arm, which would have been nigh impossible if he had remained his regular weight. "Don't count on it! Honeakaisha…" he muttered, as he began spinning in mid-air, Honehakaisha at the ready.

"That attack again?" Bane guessed, as his arms shrunk down, before he lifted his left leg into the air, just as it began growing at an incredible speed. "I thought you had more within your repertoire, Orthopedic!" he called, unaware that instead of spinning vertically, as he usually did during that attack, Zugai was spinning horizontally.

"Itoguruma!" Zugai said, as he suddenly dropped down to the ground, Bane's leg narrowly missing him. When Zugai made contact with the ground, however, he kept on spinning, like a spinning top, just as he began advancing towards the seemingly defenseless Bane. "You're wide open!"

However, only a few inches away from hitting Bane, the Marine disappeared into thin air, just as Zugai passed his former location. "Whuh?" he exclaimed, just as he stopped spinning, revealing that he had been spinning on his left femur, which snapped back into his body when his velocity dropped. "Where did he go?"

"Oh, he's just preparing for his favorite tactics…" Nuccali spoke up, and as Zugai turned to face the Marine, he smirked, as he pushed his glasses up with his pinkies. "Mole Growth."

Before Zugai could question this name, suddenly, a massive fist erupted from underneath Zugai, sending him flying into the air. Then, coming up from the crater was an incredibly tiny Bane, who soon grew back into his original size. "It looks like he didn't have what it took to stand against me." he remarked, as his arm shrunk into its original size. "Too bad; I rather enjoyed the show he put up."

Just as he said this, Bane felt something stab itself into his shoulder, and in surprise, nearly fell into the hole again. "Gnh… what's this?" he grumbled, as he looked at his shoulder, only to see something white sticking out of it. Pulling it out, he noticed that it bared a striking resemblance to a bone. "Wha…?"

Suddenly, something struck Bane's face, causing him to both drop the bone and plummet into the hole. As it turned out, Zugai had thrown one of his phalanges at Bane, giving him enough time to descend and deliver a kick to the Marine. Before the small bone could drop to the ground, Zugai grabbed it with his good hand, before putting it back on where it belonged on his skeletal hand. "If you liked the show so much, then why try to cancel it?" he remarked, as he weighed Honehakaisha on his shoulder.

Just then, a pair of giant arms emerged from the hole, letting Zugai know that Bane was attempting to reemerge from the hole, as he began creating some space between himself and the hole. Just then, the two arms slammed into the ground, propelling a smaller body up into the air over Zugai. "Maybe I just have a problem with repeated performances!" Bane yelled, just as his arms shrunk, and when he was directly over Zugai, his leg suddenly grew rapidly in size, threatening to smash Zugai underneath it.

Luckily, Zugai dived away from the gigantic foot, just as it smashed into the ground, creating a giant crater. However, without delay, Bane aimed his other leg at where Zugai now stood, before that leg grew in size as well, attempting to smash Zugai into the ground, but again, it failed, as Zugai dived back towards the crater. "You're good; definitely on a different level than the knight!" he called, just as he swung Honehakaisha at the giant leg, though as he swung the labrys, the leg shrunk again, causing Zugai to miss.

"You speak of Kishikiyoi, no?" Bane called, just as the shrunken leg grew in size again, letting him swing it in a kicking fashion, barely missing Zugai, but sweeping a few buildings into debris in the process. "I heard that the man reverted from being The Wicked Knight not long after his defeat against a pirate. I can only assume that you were that pirate." he said, just as he reeled back his arm for a punch.

"You're right." Zugai replied, as he began spinning Honehakaisha in his hand. "But I'm not usually for bragging when I'm fighting someone strong!" As he said this, Bane shot his fist forward, just as it grew tremendously in size, the gigantic arm flying at Zugai. "Bone Cleaver!" Suddenly, he slammed the axe into the incoming fist, lodging it into Bane's knuckles, but he was still struck by the punch, as he was sent flying through three buildings.

"Gah!" Bane exclaimed in pain, as his arm quickly shrunk, letting Honehakaisha fall from his knuckle, which was now bleeding nastily. "Tsch… taking a hit just to score one. Either you're thick-headed, or simply made of sterner stuff." he uttered, just as he saw Zugai emerge from the building, shaking his head. "Hm. The latter it is, then."

Zugai looked over at Bane, who had only suffered a few injuries during this fight, whereas he had suffered a great deal more damage. "Sheesh, how big can you get, anyway?" he asked sarcastically, as he rubbed his face.

"Oh, you don't want to find out about that, Orthopedic." Bane replied, as he inspected his own fingers. "The battle would be over too quickly if I got more serious about this."

Zugai shrugged upon hearing this. "Well, I don't see why you shouldn't try to end it now." he said quite casually, as Bane and the Marines could only look dumbfounded at him.

"Arrogant punk!" Ahmar could be heard calling. "Do you take our captain for a fool, or something?!" he added, just as he and a good deal of the Marines began booing at Zugai, but just as Bane raised his hand, they stopped booing. "Captain…"

"He asked for it." Bane said, as his body began convulsing. "Now, Orthopedic, take into account that this has been your choice; if you happen to die, then you are to blame." Then, Bane began slowly growing into a behemoth-like size, around the size of an actual giant. However, just as the growth had begun, Zugai had dashed at the growing Marine, before grabbing hold of Bane's left arm, just as it grew to the size of a giant.

"Gotcha!" Zugai exclaimed, just as he began climbing up the arm. Noticing this, Bane attempted to swat away Zugai, but he had lightened his bones to the point that he could scale the enormous Bane in less than a minute. "This is what I've been waiting for." he muttered to himself, just as he got up to Bane's shoulder, before moving towards the Marine's face.

"Hrm… petty insect." Bane muttered, as he repeatedly tried to swat Zugai away from his face, but when he swatted his finger over his nose, Zugai had moved down to his chin, and when he tried slapping his own chin, Zugai moved up to his right ear, and when he tried brushing him off his right ear, Zugai moved back to the nose. This went on for half a minute, until Zugai stopped right next to Bane's eye. "I have you now." Bane said, just as he moved his fingers closer to the eye, so he could grab or squash Zugai in between them.

However, Zugai noticed the incoming fingers, but instead of moving away, he began cracking his knuckles. "Time to show you just why I wanted you to grow large!" he said, just as he reeled his own arm back, before sending it flying straight into Bane's eye. Immediately, Bane yelled in pain, but before he could grab Zugai, the pirate had already leapt off the giant, aiming to land on the ground. "That was easy! Now, if I do the same to his other eye, then…"

However, Zugai's train of thought was cut short when he felt something slam hard into his back, and slightly turning his head behind him, he saw that Bane had slammed his knee into his back. Then, Zugai was launched high into the sky, though not so high that he passed by Bane's head. "You're quite the cheeky one, Orthopedic…" he said through gritted teeth, as he raised both arms over his head, hands clasped together, as Zugai began descending. "…but that ends now!" Then, he slammed the cupped hands into Zugai, sending him crashing into the ground, through numerous more buildings.

As Zugai finally stopped skidding across the ground, he coughed up a considerable amount of blood, as he felt his entire body quiver in pain. "Damn… I got careless…" he muttered, as he attempted to move away, when he suddenly saw a massive foot above him, which quickly descended upon him. In desperation, he lifted his own arms into the air, hardening his bones to the maximum, as the foot collided with the arms, creating an even larger crater underneath Zugai. However, it became apparent that even with his bones hardened, Zugai was only delaying the inevitable, as the foot slowly approached him, as the bystanders could even hear Zugai's bones snap and crack.

"This… this is horrible!" Maria exclaimed, as she looked away from Bane mercilessly crushing Zugai. "What're we going to do…?" she whispered, as Shin looked over at her.

"Hey, relax, he'll figure out something…" Shin whispered back to Maria, but she was quickly corrected when they not only heard a sickening crack, but also a shriek of pain from their captain. "Zugai…" Then, Shin actually attempted to move away from where she was lined up, when she suddenly noticed some riflemen aiming at her.

"I'm afraid you will have to stay there." Nuccali said calmly, as he once more pushed his glasses up with his pinkies. "Our captain is just showing your captain that you shouldn't bypass your limits." Then, he looked back at the site of battle with a smirk.

"For someone as cheeky as you, Demon's Orthopedic, you've sure lasted longer than most who have challenged me." Bane said, as he briefly stopped the descent of his foot for a short while, looking down at Zugai, who was heaving for his breath. "Not many have lasted this long against me, and I commend you for that. So, I'll allow you to speak some last words before we part." he added, as he lifted his foot upwards, preparing to smash the defenseless Zugai when he had the chance.

However, Zugai was silent. The bystanders were completely tensed, as they waited for Zugai to do something. However, what he did surprised most of them; he broke into laughter, though it was fairly weak. "I'm not sparing my last words with you… because I… I'm not done with my journey yet, shrimp." he said in defiance, something that shocked all of the Marines, save for Bane, who only grinned in annoyance.

"So, you remain cheeky until the end…" he muttered, as he suddenly grew even larger, now being the size of two giants. "Your adventure has come to an end, little pirate." he said menacingly, as he prepared to bring the foot down onto Zugai, which would crush the life out of him.

However, from out of the woods, three boulders suddenly emerged, two of them crashing into Bane's legs, as the third one flew past him, crashing into most of the Marines there, something that startled the pirates lined up there. "Just what the hell was that?!" Ahmar yelled in surprise, just as he saw who were on that boulder; Chris, Ken, Silent and Nero. Looking back at Bane, who was yelling in pain as he held the leg he had planned to smash Zugai with, they saw another person standing on one of the boulders; Ryozo.

"Looks like we got here in time." Ryozo said in a bored tone, before he jumped off the boulder he stood on, walking towards Zugai. "You look like a mess." he said, as he hoisted Zugai to his feet. "You feel alright?"

Looking at Ryozo, Zugai nodded weakly, before he coughed up a little blood. "Yeah, I'm fine… well, at least I've had worse." he muttered, as he grabbed his left arm just a little below the wrist, before tightening the grip, creating a snapping sound. Soon, he had proceeded to do the same to other places on his body, paying no heed to Ryozo's slightly worried look.

"Hey, now, what're you doing?" he asked, as he grabbed hold of Zugai's arm. "Whatever you're doing sounds like it's kinda painful, so why do you keep on doing that when you're so damaged?"

Quickly, Zugai yanked his arm out of Ryozo's grip, before continuing with what he was doing. "That guy's attacks broke some of my bones, so I'm just temporarily fixing them up before continuing the fight." he said, as he looked up at Bane, who was still in pain from the attack.

"But that's not gonna help the rest of your body!" Ryozo shot back. "Even if you can repair your bones, what will you do with the rest of your body? You need to see a doctor before you can continue this fight!"

Zugai sighed, just as he popped his shoulder back into place. "The only doctor around here is you." he said, before he moved past Ryozo, looking up at Bane once more, who had recovered. "And I don't have time to run back up to you for a check-up." he added, just as he got into a fighting stance.

Looking curiously at Zugai, Ryozo thought back to what Silent had told him earlier, before sighing as well. "You pirates and your recklessness…" he muttered, just as he looked up at Bane as well. "So, need any help with this guy?"

Ahmar and Nuccali could only growl as they saw Zugai and Ryozo look so defiantly up at their captain. "Such disrespect… Ahmar, you wouldn't mind stepping in on this fight, would you?" Nuccali said, just as he pushed his glasses up again with his pinkies.

"Not at all." Ahmar responded, before he threw a glance at the boulder that had decimated their fighting force, to see Chris, Nero and Ken act woozily from the trip, as Silent merely looked into the sky. "But first, I think we ought to take down the visitors over there." he said, just as his hands turned into crab claws.

"I suppose so." Nuccali replied, as he turned into his hybrid form again. "But after that, we aid our captain." Then, the two rushed directly at Chris' group, none of them noticing the incoming Marines.

However, a sudden, panicked shriek from Shin alerted Chris early enough for her to spot them charging. "Guys, we got company!" she said, just as she quickly drew her crescent dagger.

"Dude, I knew this was a bad idea…" Ken groaned, as he looked over at Silent, who was cracking his knuckles with a smirk on his face. "Oh, don't tell me that you're excited about this, dude?" he said, just before he smiled a little as well. "In that case, I can't let ya hog all the fun, can I?" he said, as he scratched his neck, before noticing that his dagger was lodged there right now. "Huh… how does it get everywhere?"

Nero looked at the charging Marines, and gulped slightly, before getting in a fighting stance. "I'm gonna help out as well, nya!" he said, just as the two Marines leapt at them.

Ahmar wasted no time in singling out Chris, as he attempted to grab her neck with his left claw, but she quickly rolled under it, before swiping her dagger across where Ahmar had been stabbed by Shin, causing him to groan in pain. "Why do you people always go after injuries?!" he yelled, just as he stabbed his face down at her, a pincer now grown out of his mouth, barely missing Chris.

"Well, maybe because pirates don't play fair!" she responded, just as she grabbed hold of Ahmar's right arm, before stabbing the dagger into it, driving it up towards his shoulder, but before he could grab her, she pulled the dagger away, and got some distance between her and Ahmar. "Did you forget that somewhere during your training as a Marine, or something?" she said as she stuck out her tongue.

"Be quiet!" he suddenly yelled, as he shot his knee at Chris, but instead of just kicking her with the knee, it grew a crab claw that easily grabbed Chris' entire torso, trapping her. "You'll learn to watch your tongue, pup." he said menacingly, just as it seemed like he was going to crush her head with the same arm she had stabbed, when Ken suddenly leapt at it, sticking his head in between the pincers. "What?!"

"Dude, attacking someone like that is seriously not cool." Ken said without a single trace of pain in his voice, even as his head was slowly crushed by the claw. "So keep your mitts off my buddy!" he added, just as he pulled the dagger out from the back of his neck, before stabbing it into the arm holding him in the air, causing Ahmar to drop both him and Chris. "Dude, go for it!"

Nodding, Chris suddenly leapt at Ahmar, grabbing the Marine by his collar, just as she stabbed the knife into his abdomen. "Don't worry, this won't kill you… but on the other hand, it's gonna hurt like a bitch in the morning." she said, just as she swiftly cut a C into Ahmar's chest, before retracting the dagger, causing Ahmar to collapse on the ground. "Well, that takes care of that."

Meanwhile, Silent was busy exchanging blows with Nuccali. As it turned out, the smaller arms were just as sentient as his regular ones, as they threw a large amount of punches at Silent, who easily blocked them with his arms and feet, despite a few punches breaking through his defense. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Nuccali taunted, just as a pair of claws jabbed themselves into Silent's shoulders, causing him to wince in pain, as he suddenly dropped to his knees. "Good thing that you're not allergic, or else you would've been dead now. Unfortunately, you'll be paralyzed for a short while; enough time for me to end this fight." he said, just as each of his arms reeled back, prepared to punch Silent whilst he was down.

"Uindo Tsume!" someone yelled, just as Nero passed by Nuccali at high speed. Though it took a few seconds before anyone noticed, Nuccali had been scratched repeatedly by Nero, and just felt the effects take place, his body spilling a few drops of blood. "Don't think I'll give you time to rest, nya! Neko Netsu!" Nero said, just as he quickly ran around Nuccali, before leaping up to his face, giving a large amount of scratches to the centipede-man.

"Get away from me, you pest!" Nuccali said angrily, just as one of his numerous arms punched Nero away from him, when he noticed Silent having risen to his feet, holding his hands clenched together, as if he was trying to use Netok's Wahrheitsgemäße Schrotflinte, only he extended the arms as far away from his body as possible. "What are you-?"

Before Nuccali could finish his sentence, Silent rushed at him and placed the hands against the body of the Marine, when all of a sudden, Nuccali felt a great pain overcome his body, as if his insides were ravaged by a bomb, before he was sent flying away, crashing into the ground, out cold.

Jin, Shin and Maria could only gape at how the quarter had dominated the two Marines. "Holy… I'll be, Chris, that was pretty damn sweet." Shin said, just as she and Maria helped Jin get out of the sea-stone net. "So, what took you guys so long, anyway?" she asked.

"Well…" Chris began, as she rubbed her back in slight pain, when they felt another tremor, and as the group turned to see what it was, they saw that Bane had once again grown, this time standing even taller than four giants. "Uh… well, now I know that he could probably out-grow Oz…" she muttered, as she looked down to see him trying to smash Zugai and Ryozo under his feet.

"You two will regret having stood against me!" Bane yelled loudly, as even that caused a tremor, just as he slammed his foot against the ground, barely missing Zugai and Ryozo, who dived away from him just in time.

"Zugai, this isn't working!" Ryozo said with a groan, just as he barely avoided a punch from Bane. "It'd be simpler if he could stop attacking us for a second!" he added, just as he noticed Bane getting ready to stomp at them again.

"Stop from attacking…" Zugai muttered, just as he snapped his fingers. "Ryozo, I got a plan, but you have to help out! Block the incoming attack with your powers, and when I give a signal, propel me up towards his face!"

Blinking, Ryozo shrugged. "Well, I'll try." he said, just as he punched his fist into the ground. "Ishi Ishi no Fist!" he said, just as a huge fist made out of rock shot out from the ground, grabbing Bane's foot, though it still didn't help much, as the rock arm was slowly crushed into the ground. "It's not gonna hold for long, so whatever you're planning, do it now!"

Nodding, Zugai ran towards Bane's leg, which had halfway crushed the rock arm. Just then, Zugai leapt up at the leg, before grabbing on to it. "Ryozo, get ready!" he said, as he tried to pull something out of Bane's leg, which slowly emerged from the leg; as it turned out, Zugai was trying to pull out Bane's femur, which was still huge from having grown to the size of Oz. Then, with one final pull, the femur came popping out of the leg, just as Zugai seemed to fall. "Now!"

Just then, Ryozo threw his hand into the air, as a pillar of stone emerged from underneath Zugai, elevating him up towards Bane, who was having some trouble keeping his balance maintained with his leg paralyzed. "Eat this!" Zugai yelled when the pillar had brought him up to Bane's face, just as he swung the gigantic femur at Bane, striking Bane's face with an enormous impact, toppling the giant man.

Though he was about to fall, Bane still glared nastily at Zugai, as the pirate dropped the femur, as it landed on the ground with yet another tremor. "If I go down, then you're doing so as well!" Bane called, just as he swung his arm at the pillar Zugai stood on, shattering it with a single punch, causing Zugai to start falling downwards as well.

However, before Zugai could crash into the ground, all of a sudden, he felt himself surrounded by water, just as someone grabbed him, and taking a brief glance at who had grabbed him, he saw that it was Maria, having swum through a stream of water created by Jin, which carefully elevated the two to the ground. "Are… are you okay, captain?" she asked Zugai, as they landed safely on the ground.

"Yeah…" Zugai muttered, as Maria let go of him, letting him put his feet on the ground. "Thanks; kinda thought I was a goner for a second." he added with a brief laugh, when he heard someone yell in panic. "Hm?"

As it turned out, the Marines that had been struck by the boulder Chris' group had been riding could only look up in shock at the incoming giant threatening to crush them, their ship and Howling Moon. Whilst the pirates had gotten away in time, the Marines weren't so lucky, as they believed themselves to be dead meat, every one of them yelling in fear. "We're goners!" one of them yelled, just as it seemed like Bane's body would crush them.

However, only a few feet away from impact, Bane's body immediately shrunk into his original size, just as he crashed on top of the cocky Marine from earlier, seemingly being out cold. Also, the massive femur that Zugai had pulled out began shrinking as well. "C-captain!" the Marines yelled in shock, as they gathered around his body. "Please, speak to us, captain!"

It only took a short while before Bane responded, and what he responded with was laughter, as he slowly got up, looking towards Zugai and the pirates, who only looked at him in confusion. "It's been a while since I had a battle like that! But now… I'm out of energy. Consider this your sign of victory, Demon's Orthopedic!" he said, as he only kept on laughing.

Zugai smirked a little, before he picked up Bane's femur. "Well, it was a good fight. We gotta do it again, sometime." he said with a smile, as he flung the bone towards Bane; however, instead of harming Bane even further, it began slowing down the closer it got to him, before eventually sliding back into Bane's leg.

"Hmph… a pirate showing mercy on his foes…" Bane muttered to himself, before continuing to laugh. "That's a good one! We'll definitely meet again, Orthopedic!" he said, before he looked over at Ryozo for a moment. _There's no doubt about it… with those powers, it has to be… The Bane of the Mountains. _he thought to himself.

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On the other side of the island, a very large ship resides. The flag showed a bored-looking skull wearing a grey headband, with a pair of iron balls attached to tonfas acting as the crossed bones, and the figurehead was that of a sabre tooth tiger opening its mouth. And heading towards this ship was Gin and the pirates that had accompanied him. "Another dead end…" Gin muttered, as he climbed aboard his ship, just as he noticed someone different from his crew sitting on the railing. "And what do you want?"

"I came to see if you had changed your mind." the stranger said, as it turned out to be Etels, something which made Gin frown in annoyance, before he got back on the deck. "Joining me would be beneficial to your cause, wouldn't it, Man-Demon?" he said coldly, as his gaze followed Gin, as the pirate walked towards a crate, which he sat down upon.

"Taking orders from someone like you would be the equivalent of becoming a Shichibukai." Gin responded with an uninterested tone to his voice, as he rested his head on his knuckles. "As a pirate, that is unacceptable."

"You should think of what you say, Man-Demon." Etels said in a reprimanding tone, as he stepped away from the railing, looking at Gin with some interest. "All I'm asking of you is that you help me fend off the new seeds of discord trying to hinder my goals. As a veteran from the Second Pirate King's era, you should be enough to instil fear in their hearts."

"You mean youngsters like the Cross Skull Pirates, right?" Gin replied, as he noticed Etels frowning a little upon hearing that name. "Do you want to know what I think? I think the only reason you bother with this crew is their captain, Zugai Hibiware…" he continued, as he fished something out from underneath his jacket. "…or as I've figured out earlier today, the son of "The Herald of Destruction", Shuzen Hibiware." he said, just as he threw something at Etels, who grabbed it effortlessly. As it turned out, it was a wanted poster, showing the silhouette of a bearded man who was grinning wickedly, his eyes glowing menacingly red, as he aimed a pistol directly at the camera. As Gin had said, the name of this man read Shuzen Hibiware, worth a good amount of 369,000,000 Beri.

Frowning, Etels crushed the paper between his hands, before throwing it aside. "I see that you won't abide to my pleas no matter how many times I ask you." he sighed, as his hand turned a into a silver-like color, before it began melting, just as it took the shape of a scythe, which he pulled out of his arm, returning the arm to its original shape. "In that case, I believe that your usefulness has come to an end." he said menacingly, just as he flew towards Gin with the scythe at the ready, though Gin made no attempt at moving away.

Just then, something exploded in front of Etels, sending him propelling into the railing. As he got back to his senses, he saw that the one who had struck him was a man wearing some sort of golden armor, his hair the same color as his purple pants, as he was holding a large club in one of his hands, the club itself looking like two shoulder-plates being put together, with the same Jolly Roger as the one on the flag being imprinted on the two sides, though two hourglasses were visible on the sides of the skull. "This guy bothering you, Captain?" he said coldly, as more crewmembers got between Gin and Etels.

"No, Krieg, not really." Gin said in a neutral voice, as he looked at the somewhat angered Etels with indifference. "In fact, he was just about to leave."

Etels frowned, as he got back up on his feet, before glaring at Krieg for a short while, as his scythe was absorbed into his body. "You ought to watch your back now, Man-Demon." he said, just as he turned away from the pirates, before two silver-colored wings sprouted from his back. "This era is soon to change; an era where no fool can proclaim to be invincible." Then, he flew off the ship, headed towards the horizon.

------------------------------------------------------------

Nightfall had struck Yokocho Island, and Bane's forces had long since left the island. After fixing up Zugai's injuries, Ryozo had been left to administer the newly-created antidotes to Nampu, KC, Krystal and Craigmirra. As he was doing so, Zugai, Chris, Jin, Shin and Maria were talking with Ken, Nero and Silent. "So, what're you guys gonna do now?" Chris asked them. "Since you helped us out against Bane and his men, they're gonna think that you're pirates. So, what are you going to do now?"

Ken rubbed his chin as he thought about this, before he snapped his fingers. "Well, if the Government wants to think of me as a criminal, then I'll give them just what they want, dude!" he said happily, before pointing towards the horizon. "I'm gonna set sail and become a pirate, and dude, it's gonna be awesome!"

Nero scratched his head, before he nodded. "I was thinking the same thing, nya! If I'm gonna find that cure, then my best bet is to set sail and search for it, nya!"

Silent nodded as well, before he showed a note that he had written: "_Staying on this island won't let me find out just how certain things in history took place, so if I'm doomed to a life of piracy, then so be it._"

Just as Zugai opened his mouth to say something, Ken pointed a finger at him. "Look, dude, even if you want us to come with you on this crew, I'm gonna have to say no on behalf on all of us." he said, before he put his arms around Nero and Silent's necks. "Because if anyone's gonna be captain, it's gonna be me!" he added with a laugh.

"H-hey, what if I wanted to be captain, nya?" Nero said with a little laugh, just as Silent said something in hand language. "Oh, I see. Well, he's definitely perfect for the job, then!" he said, as he began laughing with Ken.

Zugai blinked a little, before he nodded. "Well, if that's how it's gonna be, then I'm not stopping you." he said, as he looked at the three. "Though it would've been cool to have you guys on my crew, nonetheless…" he muttered.

"Well, as much fun as we had in your company…" Ken began, as he grabbed Zugai's hand, shaking it. "I believe the time's come for us to part ways, dude. Best of luck to ya on your voyage!" he said, just as he, Nero and Silent went off the ship, as all three of them waving goodbye to the pirates, who in turn waved back at them. Then, the trio disappeared into the night.

"You sure you didn't want them to stay, Zugai?" Jin asked, as he looked at his captain, who only shook his head in response.

"If they really didn't want to, then why should I force them to?" he said with a shrug, just as he heard a door opening. Looking up, the group saw that Ryozo emerged from the sick bay, stretching his arms. "So… did it work?"

At first, Ryozo didn't reply, as he only looked back into the sick bay, before he looked back at Zugai. "Well… take a look for yourself." he said, as he moved away from the doorway, just as the group noticed four people coming out of the doorway; Nampu, KC, Krystal and Craigmirra, all four of them looking somewhat sleepy.

"Uhh… what time is it?" Nampu yawned, as he looked at the crewmembers looking at him, KC, Krystal and Craigmirra with gleeful looks. "…eh?"

"Why is everyone looking at us?" Craigmirra asked, just as she rubbed her eyes.

"Hey, is this some kind of practical joke going on, or…?" Krystal began, just as she felt herself being hugged, and as it turned out, it was Zugai who had grabbed all four of them in a hug, as he sobbed a little with a smile on his face.

"H-hey, Zugai, what's wrong?" KC asked, but he got nothing but some sort of laugh out of his captain. "Hey, c'mon, you can tell us what's up!"

"Nothing's up…" Zugai replied, as he only hugged the four tighter. "I'm… I'm just so glad to see you guys again!" he added, as he let go of his crewmates, who smiled back at him, though they weren't sure about just why Zugai was acting like this (although in Craigmirra's case, she didn't mind at all).

"Well, my work here's done." they heard Ryozo say, as the pirates looked over at him. "Everyone's fine, so there's no reason for me to stay around any longer…" he continued, as he approached Zugai, before putting a hand on his shoulder. "…is what I would have said, if I wasn't gonna ask you if I could join your crew."

Zugai blinked a few times as he heard this, before suddenly nodding, as he grabbed Ryozo's hand, and shook it. "Well, there's absolutely no need for you to ask. Welcome aboard the Howling Moon, home of the Cross Skull Pirates!" he said, as he noticed Ryozo smiling back at him.

"Believe me, captain, the pleasure's all mine!" Ryozo said, as he remembered the image of that man Silent had pointed him to earlier. _Minkan Hitogoroshi… you'd better watch out; I'm coming for you._

----------------------------------------------------------------

**Zugai Hibiware – **Captain/Shipwright/Blacksmith

**Nampu Kiyasui – **First Mate

**KC Boom – **Swordsman

**Krystal Gem – **Sniper

**Jinketsu Namura – **Navigator

**Shin Mikage – **Cook/Hunter

**Little Lady Craigmirra – **Obligatory Cute Mascot

**Chrisanthia Hopkins – **Thief/Spy

**Maria – **Assistant

**Ryozo Yamaguchi/Shibun Tsurijioro - **Doctor

**A/N: **Dear Lord, my fingers are killing me! Well, I guess I'm the one to blame, for writing such a truckload of text for you guys to enjoy! With that, I officially declare the search for a doctor over! What adventures will await our heroes next? And just what is Etels Tyches planning? Just remember to read and review, and we may yet find out!

Also, due to some changes I did to this chapter, what I was planning to immediately follow will be postponed a few chapters. Believe me, it's something I've been dying to write, but I'm gonna have to do some changes to make it work. Until next time, ta-ta!

**YolkaEd**


	41. The Island Bridging Nations Together!

Three days had passed since Napoleon Bane's defeat at the hands of Zugai Hibiware on Yokocho Island, and at this moment, his Marine ship was on a steady course towards the Calm Belt, where they were to meet up with Kishikiyoi and his squadron. However, despite the injuries he had suffered, Bane refused to stay in the infirmary, shrugging it off with saying that most of his troops, Ahmar and Nuccali included, were in greater need of medical attention than he was.

In the crows nest, a Marine who had gotten away from the battle against the Cross Skull Pirates with nothing more than a scratch and a black eye, courtesy of Shin, was scouting towards the horizon, trying to localize where Kishikiyoi's ship would arrive. Soon, however, as he looked ahead with his binoculars, he noticed something approaching them. "Ship spotted at 5'o clock!" he called, just as Bane leapt on the railing down below, having noticed the incoming ship.

"Whatever he wants here on the Grand Line better be important…" Bane muttered, as the other ship got closer to them. "Worthy of a promotion or not, his antics do not amuse me."

Soon, the other Marine ship was anchored by Bane's ship, and before you could even blink, a large, armored man leapt off the other ship, headed straight for Bane's ship, which he landed on without any problems. "Nappy! It's been far too long." the man said, as he removed the golden jaguar-helmet on his head, revealing the face of Kishikiyoi. "How have you been?"

"Hmph. I've felt better… yet at the same time, worse." Bane replied, as he looked over at Kishikiyoi's ship, where four people now stood by the railing; three of them wearing red, blue and green suits of armor with the helmet looking like a eagle's head, whilst the fourth was easily recognized as Netok. "Ah, I see that Der Glutvolle Streiter decided to come along as well." he said dryly.

"Hey, nice to see you too, shrimp." Netok uttered sarcastically, as she looked lazily at Bane, who seemed to be just about ready to bust an artery.

However, before he could grow any higher than a head lower than Netok, he felt Kishikiyoi's cold gauntlet placed on his shoulder. "Now, now, Nappy, we're not looking for any trouble; we're just looking for someplace to find a Log Pose, so we can pursue a band of pirates known as the Cross Skull Pirates."

Upon hearing this name, Bane looked crossly at Kishikiyoi, before smirking. "I see. You couldn't handle the thought of defeat against that boy, and you've set out for a rematch?" he said with a smirk, just as he shrunk into his original size.

Kishikiyoi blinked a few times upon hearing this, before he shook his head. "Nonsense! We're trying to find this crew so that we can stop the bounty hunter Manigordo from getting to him!" he said, as Bane looked up at him with somewhat of a curious look. "Oh, wait… you don't know who Manigordo is, do you?"

"Why should I?" Bane replied. "If it's some bounty hunter from East Blue, you can't expect me to know anything about him, unless his name is Roronoa Zoro." he added, just as he looked towards the horizon. "Moreover, it's somewhat of a lucky break for us, now that you're here…" Before he could continue, both of them heard a shrill laughter behind them.

"My, my, there's someone I wasn't expecting to see." the voice said, and as Kishikiyoi and Bane turned around, they saw a middle-aged man wearing a lab coat standing before them. His short hair was black, which had been tied up into a small ponytail, and on his face was a somewhat maniacal, yet still calm grin. "Kishikiyoi, the Wicked Knight. Why have you come here?" he said soothingly, yet still retaining his grin.

"Professor Gigaku." Kishikiyoi said briefly, as he bowed his head to the man. "Good morning to you, too." he added, before turning his attention to Bane again. "So, why is it such a lucky break that we showed up?"

"I was about to tell you." Bane said bluntly, as he motioned for Gigaku to leave, which he did without any questions asked. "Now, I'm sure that you're familiar with the murder of Count Megtapos, leader of the East Blue faction of the Family…" Now, Bane's tone turned much graver. "As it turns out, Dokusai has decided to make his move, and has supposedly called for a Family Council to be held within a week, according to our spies. If he moves with his army to this council, then we can expect nothing less than an attack on the Marines from him. With that in mind, we cannot allow his army to leave Seisabetsu Island!"

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Island Bridging Nations Together!**

**Bridge Central, ****Ketsuwoo Island**

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"Parry again!" On the other side of things, the Cross Skull Pirates, all fixed up after the battle against Bane, courtesy of Ryozo, their newest crewmate, were on their way to the next island. And, as usual, KC was busy practicing his Santoryu, though he not only sparred against Zugai and Honehakaisha, but Ryozo and his stone sword at the same time. "You have to put more backbone into it!" Ryozo exclaimed, just as KC delivered a swing of his left falcata against the stone sword.

"You're wide open!" Zugai chimed in, as he attempted to take KC by surprise from behind, but still in possession of two weapons, KC blocked the incoming strike from his captain's labrys with the right falcata. "Hm… maybe not so much." he added, as neither captain nor doctor moved away from their positions.

"Heh, what'd you expect, Zugai?" KC said with a smirk, Zanmato still in his mouth. "Being asleep for five days straight isn't gonna hamper on my skills, or else I wouldn't be good enough for this crew!" he added, as he began trying to push away Zugai and Ryozo.

"Wanna bet?" a female voice suddenly said, and just before KC could assess what happened, Shin flew at him with her Espada, forcing him to block the strike with Zanmato. "C'mon, KC, you can't expect to fend off three at the same time like that!" she said playfully, as KC finally pushed away Zugai and Ryozo.

"Oh yeah? Just watch me in action!" KC replied, and soon, what had begun as a simple sparring match became a full beatdown between Zugai, KC, Ryozo and Shin, all whilst Nampu, Krystal, Chris and Craigmirra observed with varying degrees of interest.

"Alright, who do you suppose will emerge with least injuries?" Nampu said, as he rubbed his chin whilst observing the fight. "I'm actually going for Shin on this one; the girl knows how to move."

Chris scratched her head, before pointing at Ryozo. "I'm putting my money on our new guy; after all, the power to control stone should give him an edge in defense over the others."

"What about KC?" Krystal asked. "I mean, sure, Shin has both her Espada and dirk, and Ryozo's got powers over stone, and Zugai could use his own bones for attack, but KC does have three swords out at the same time, so he could attacked them whilst their drawing new weapons."

Of course, the three didn't seem to notice that Craigmirra was now holding a pair of pink pompons in her hands, waving them about wildly. "Zugai, Zugai, he's our man; if he doesn't win, then no one can!" she cheered blissfully.

Just then, the sound of a door opening was heard, bringing both the fighter's and the crowd's attention towards where the sound came from, where they saw Maria standing in the doorway to the kitchen, fidgeting for some reason. "Um… d-dinner's ready!" she said, before she reentered the kitchen.

"Well… some dinner might be good right about now!" Ryozo exclaimed, as he nonchalantly dropped his sword to the ground, before moving ahead of the group. "We'll continue after the meal, alright?" he said, as more of the crew followed his example, as Zugai, KC, Shin, Chris and Craigmirra followed him. Though Nampu was about to enter as well, he noticed that Krystal still hadn't moved away from where she stood.

"Hey, c'mon, dinner's gonna get cold if we don't hurry!" Nampu called, but she still didn't move. "Hmm… hey, Krystal, something on your mind?" he asked, as he approached her.

"Well, it's just that…" Krystal began, as she looked towards the doorway, where she could see KC just enter it. "Why haven't they told KC and Craigmirra yet?" she continued, looking over at Nampu. "If they informed us two about what Manigordo did to us, why not inform them as well?"

Nampu put his hand on his chin again, as he looked up to the sky. "Well, I'm not sure. Maybe Zugai figured that we'd handle it better than KC and Craigmirra would've. You do know how impulsive KC can be, and as for Craigmirra…" As he thought of how Craigmirra would have reacted, he shuddered.

"Yeah, but still…" she muttered, as she looked back towards the kitchen. "…if I could only find some way to tell him…"

"Still haven't found an opportunity to tell him?" Nampu chuckled, just as he saw how flustered Krystal got because of it. "Hey, don't worry; you take it at your own pace. After all, best to say it later than never!" he said, before motioning towards the kitchen. "Now c'mon; I'm interested in seeing what Maria made for us!" With that, he headed towards the kitchen, and soon, Krystal followed.

"You two took your sweet time!" Chris said as the two entered the kitchen, taking their seats. "I was just about to take your portions before it would go cold!" she added, leading to Nampu slowly, yet defensively, pushing his plate a small distance from Chris, before he dug into what he had on his plate, as the rest of the crew soon did the same, save for Maria.

"Hey, this ain't half bad!" Shin exclaimed, as she looked up at Maria, who only smiled somewhat shyly. "I've never tasted kamaboko like this before! What kinda ingredients did you use?"

"Well…" Maria began, as she scratched her chin. "I figured that the normal ingredients wouldn't give it so much of a unique taste, so I found a red fruit in the refrigerator and added that to the surimi."

"Oh, I see…" Shin began, as she prepared to take another bite, when she felt something swell in her throat. "Uh… Maria?" she asked, just as she looked at the other pirates, who seemed to felt it as well. "That fruit… what did it look like again?" she added.

"Oh, the fruit?" Maria replied, as she scratched her nose. "Um… I think… it wasn't all that big… and it was sort of thin… why do you need to know?" she asked, just as she noticed that all the pirates holding their throats, their faces red hot. "G-guys?"

Soon, all the pirates save for Maria were yelling in pain, as they immediately drank as much water as they could get their hands on, even if they had to rely on Jin's powers to do that. Of course, Maria wasn't quite aware of the situation. "It's not that good after all?" she said quizzically, as she took a bite of her kamaboko, when her face almost instantly turned a red hot color. "IT'S SPICY!" she yelled with the pirates, just as she took a hold of her own water glass.

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"I-I'm really sorry!" Soon, the spicy kamaboko had been disposed of, as Jin had decided to inform the crew of their next position (save for Chris, who had gone on lookout for the next island), but even so, Maria couldn't help but feel guilty about her blunder. "I-I didn't know that you don't use chili peppers to make surimi!"

"Don't worry about it." Zugai said reassuringly, as he cleared his throat a little. "I did need a little wake-up call after training with KC." Then, he looked at the map Jin had rolled out. "Alright, our next destination is where?"

Jin responded to that by pointing at an island on the map. "The Log is pointing towards this island, but there's something about the name that's been bugging me… Seisabetsu Island… I feel as if I've read about it before."

"It's probably nothing!" Ryozo said, as he looked at the map. "It could be some island that was involved in a royal debate with Alabasta, or something along those lines."

"Still, it troubles me somewhat…" Jin replied, as he scratched his chin. "Well, maybe it's best to not worry too much of it for the time being." he added, before looking at Zugai. "So, who'll be going to explore the island this time around?"

Before Zugai could respond to that, a surprised exclamation from Chirs stopped him, and with curiosity, the pirates exited the kitchen, heading towards Chris. "Hey, Chris, what's up?" Zugai asked, as he noticed that Chris was only looking in one direction.

"…guys…" she began, as she pointed her finger where she was looking. "Do you see what I see?" As it turned out, in front of them was not an island, but a bridge; a large bridge that went from one side of the sea to the other, but as the pirates got a closer look, they saw that one of this bridge's ends were connected to an island.

"A bridge?" Krystal questioned, as she tilted her head. "Why would there be a bridge out on the middle of the Grand Line?"

"Well, it IS the Grand Line." Ryozo shot in, as he held his hands behind his head. "Compared to other islands and phenomenon's here, a bridge is pretty tame."

"But what does it bridge?" Craigmirra asked naively. "I mean, who would build a bridge leading from one island to possibly nowhere else?"

"Well, I think that there's only one way to find out…" Nampu shot in, as he put his left hand on his hip, before pointing towards the island they could see. "We have to visit that island and find out more of this bridge!"

"Should we really?" Jin asked, as he looked at the Log Pose. "According to the Log, Seisabetsu Island is actually… on the path of this bridge, opposite that island!"

Zugai chuckled, as he looked towards the visible island. "We won't be there for long; just long enough for us to find out more of the bridge, so the Log isn't going to readjust itself that quickly." he said, before looking at his crew. "So, I think that I'll take with me KC, Krystal, Chris and Craigmirra to gather some info there."

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As they docked Howling Moon at the coast of the island, Zugai's group proceeded towards a town some distance away. As they quickly noticed, the island wasn't all that big, despite the bridge connected to it leading one to think otherwise. They did discover how the bridge was connected to the island, however; a couple of stairs was built from parts of the island itself, which was connected to the bridge.

"Someone's good with architecture around here, it seems." Chris said upon observing this, before they continued towards the town. "But really, this doesn't make all that much sense; what kind of island has a bridge built by the coast for no reason?" she asked, as the pirates noticed that they were starting to scale the scenery a little on their way to the town.

"You tell me." KC replied, as he looked up towards the town. "Though I'm sure that whatever kind of theory we come up with isn't half as crazy as the truth." he added, just as Craigmirra jumped on his head. "Hey, what's the big idea?" he said somewhat annoyed, as Craigmirra looked around her surroundings.

"Hey, I think I have something you guys might wanna hear…" she said, before she leapt off KC's head. "That bridge's not the only bridge here." As she said this, Zugai, Chris, KC and Krystal looked around them, just as they saw just what Craigmirra had seen; surrounding the island was not one, not two, but eight bridges pointing in all cardinal and ordinal directions.

"Eight bridges?" Krystal asked in confusion. "Okay, I'm officially lost here. Can anyone enlighten us?" she said in exasperation, as she looked over at Zugai.

"I'll ask someone when we get to town." he replied, but before they could even get a few steps ahead, he felt something bump into his legs, and as he looked down to see who it was, he saw that it was a small boy. "H-hey, are you okay?" he asked, as the boy looked up at him.

"Y-yeah." he said, as Zugai helped him get to his feet. "Sorry about that, mister." he said, as he tried walking past Zugai, but the pirate quickly stepped in front of him. "Uh… is something wrong, mister?"

"Nothing's wrong, but…" Zugai began, as he looked at the boy. "Think you could tell us why this island's surrounded by bridges?"

"Sure can!" the boy said, as he smiled brightly. "This island has been used as a way of traveling to different islands that aren't connected by the sea-train, ever since the Second Pirate King was executed. They call this place the Bridge Central, but the name of the island is Ketsuwoo Island!" With that, the boy ran past Zugai, heading into the town.

"Hm… I think we'll need some more info than just that." Zugai muttered, as he motioned for his crewmates to follow him into town. "Bridge Central, huh… that sounds pretty cool."

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In town, inside a clock tower ranging far higher than the other buildings, someone was watching the pirates enter the town from a window, and as he saw this, he smiled. "Looks like we have some welcoming to do, won't we, gentlemen?" he said, as he looked behind him to see two men much larger than him, who merely nodded with a grunt. "After all, it would be rude not to let visitors pay the taxes!" he said with a laugh, as he walked away from the mirror.

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**A/N: **Right-o, we begin a new arc! As I said, I did some edits to what was originally planned, therefore delaying the next arc by a few chapters, but know that this and the next arc will bridge together (no pun intended) quite nicely. So, apologies for the shortness, but I wanted you guys to have something to hold you over, as I'll be without access to my computer until next week. Until next time, then, remember to read and review!

**YolkaEd**


	42. A Conflict on the Bridge Central!

On the seas, a distance away from the Bridge Central Island, Ketsuwoo, a small ship carrying three persons was sailing towards Seisabetsu Island. As it turned out, the boat was painted with orange and black stripes, and the persons onboard were none other than Morte's tiny bounty hunter squadron, he himself being heavily bandaged. "Is it long until we get there, Akira?" he groaned, as he was actually trying to pull off the bandages on his body, though he did a poor job of it.

"We'll be there in a couple of hours, if I'm not mistaken." Akira replied, as he was holding an Eternal Pose pointing towards that island. "But I'm curious about a few things, like why you won't just take your time to rest instead of pursuing these pirates." he added, before looking at Morte with some interest. As the only damage he had sustained during the fight on Atsumari was electrocution, he had to direct the course to their next destination, as Morte and Vraspos had taken more than a beating from Zugai and Chris, respectively.

Morte, however, didn't respond. He was actually looking towards the horizon, his gaze being disconnected from the present. Suddenly, a nudge from Vraspos, who was covered in less bandages than Morte was, brought him back to reality. "Oh, sorry, zoned out there." Morte muttered, before looking towards Akira. "Well, as you know, I'm a perfectionist at what I do. And if it's one thing I won't allow, is to let Dokusai have his way with the Cross Skull Pirates; otherwise, my record would be shamed even further."

Vraspos looked up at Morte with a small sense of curiosity. "Just who is this… Dokusai?" he asked, earning him a chuckle from Morte.

"Well, take a look at this, first." Morte replied, as he threw a newspaper at the larger man. "That was published a few days before Count Megtapos' death was publically announced." he added, as Vraspos saw just what Morte wanted him to see; a headline proclaiming a massive female uproar on Seisabetsu Island, which had driven men away in fear.

"Hrm… so the women there got tired of being harassed?" Vraspos remarked dryly, before dropping the paper onto the deck. "I fail to see what this has to do with Dokusai."

"Unless you read between the lines, not many can see so." Morte replied, just as he tore off some bandages on his left arm, where his pata sword was still attached. "But let's think about this; in how many societies have you heard of the entire female population just chasing every last man away from that island? This is in no way caused by natural forces, so I'm suspecting foul play."

Akira blinked in confusion, as he looked back at Morte. "Foul play from who?"

Morte shrugged with an uninterested 'hm'-sound. "Most likely Dokusai." he replied, before looking at his own fingers. "And with the death of Megtapos, I can only assume that the Family won't just let this stay in East Blue." Then, he smirked, as he clenched his hand into a fist. "If we get the Cross Skulls before Dokusai does, then maybe we'll be in for one hell of a show."

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Conflict on the Bridge Central!**

**The Brutal Interrogator and the Biomechanic Man**

* * *

On Ketsuwoo, Zugai's group had now entered the town, which was bustling with various different races, including Fishmen, Longarms, even some people with gigantism were seen walking the streets. Right now, Chris, KC, Krystal and Craigmirra were sitting in a restaurant, with KC and Craigmirra already having finished their seventh portions. "Hey, guys, you're gonna bankrupt us before we get close to the Red Line!" Chris said with some annoyance, pinching the bridge of her nose when the two just kept on eating.

"Bt Krsh, dsh ish dlishus!" KC replied with his mouth full, before swallowing what he had in his mouth. "Besides, being asleep for so long has really made me hungry." Then, he continued stuffing his face with food, as Chris groaned in disbelief, and Krystal only giggled.

"Hey, waiter!" Craigmirra suddenly called, holding up her emptied plate. "Could you pretty-please serve me another round of delicious pancakes?" she added, just as an exhausted waiter came to their table, wiping his brow with a handkerchief.

"I'm truly sorry, but at the rate you've been consuming food…" the waiter began, as he pointed towards the kitchen door, which suddenly slammed open, just as a chef fell to the ground in exhaustion. "…you've knocked out four of our best cooks. At this rate, none of the other guests will be able to receive their orders."

Chris sighed, as she reached into her jacket. "Alright, I guess we're done now." she began, as KC and Craigmirra gave her quite shocked expressions. "I'm gonna go on a whim and guess that this will cost us a shipload of Beri?"

"Well, given that you've not only consumed four of our most expensive dishes, but that you ordered several of them, I'm afraid that the price counts up to-" the waiter began, but as he shot a glance towards the door, he froze. In through the door, Zugai approached, and whilst he didn't exactly look intimidating, the waiter was sweating in terror. "…uh, it counts up to nothing! The meal's on the house!" he suddenly said, laughing nervously, as Zugai approached the table the pirates were sitting by.

"What are you talking about?" Krystal asked in confusion. "If we owe you money, then we should pay for it, shouldn't we?"

The waiter was about to say something, but backed away in shock when Zugai sat himself by the table. "N-no, I insist! On the house!" Then, he hastily retreated from the pirate's table, leaving the group quite puzzled.

"What… was that about?" Chris asked in confusion, as she suddenly noticed that the rest of the customers were seemingly intimidated by Zugai.

"Hrm… it's been like this ever since we got into town." Zugai sighed, as KC generously enough handed him an untouched plate of food. "Every time I tried asking someone for what the deal with this bridge island is, they've either backed away in fear or tried giving me all their valuables." he added, as he began digging into the food.

"What's the deal with that?" Craigmirra asked, as she began cracking her knuckles. "If anyone tries to act like my captain is a big bully, I'll-"

"No, I don't think it's like that." Zugai said, as he motioned for Craigmirra to stop cracking her knuckles. "I tried seeing if they were scared by Honehakaisha, so I hid it in an alley, but even without it, people were still frightened by me."

Krystal sighed, as she looked over at Zugai. "So, you didn't get any info on this island at all?"

Just as she said that, Zugai whipped out a paper scroll from underneath his hoodie-jacket, placing it on the table. "Luckily, some old guy didn't seem frightened by me at all, so he gave me this." As the pirates would see, the scroll was a map, overlooking Ketsuwoo and the eight bridges, with each bridge having a name besides them.

"Holy-" KC exclaimed, as he saw the map. "Those bridges must have taken ages to create!" he said, looking at the various bridges.

"The old guy said that most of the bridges aren't finished, yet." Zugai said in response, as he pointed towards two bridges labeled 'Alabasta' and 'Drum'. "These two, for example, won't be completed until the kings of the two kingdoms can see what the bridges can do."

Chris hummed, as she looked at the other bridges. "Water 7, Box, Seido, Sparrow, Yotsugiri, and Seisabetsu… We anchored our ship by the Seisabetsu bridge, didn't we?" she asked, pointing at said bridge.

"Yeah, I guess so." Zugai said, as he rubbed his chin. "But I do wonder how those bridges work… I mean, walking all the way to an island would take anyone at least a week." Shrugging, he got up from his seat. "Well, let's head back to the ship. Now that I know what this island's deal is, we can head back." As the other pirates got up from their seats, headed out towards the door, Krystal was generous enough to leave 5000 Beri behind for the meal.

"So, Zugai, I got a question." KC began, as the pirates exited the restaurant. "Do we know how long we have to stay on Seisabetsu Island before the log readjusts itself?" he asked, looking in the direction of the Seisabetsu bridge. However, before Zugai had a chance to respond, an obnoxious laughter rang through the streets.

"Why, if I was to guess, I'd say that we have visitors on our island!" Turning around, the pirates could see three people standing in the middle of the street, with citizens flocking away from them. The man to the left was around seven feet tall, his stern-looking face shaved cleanly and his short, brown hair slicked back. He was wearing a torn Marine jacket, though that was all he was wearing on his upper body. His physique was peculiar, to say the least; he was quite obese like Marshall D. Teach, but his legs and arms were quite muscular. He also carried a large hammer on his back.

The man to the right stood just as tall as the man to the left, and if one was to look closely, underneath his brown hair, some sort of clear plate was placed over his scalp, yet was lying underneath the hair. He was wearing black boots and slacks, and his upper body was covered by a white jacket. Unlike the man to the left, his face was void of emotion.

The man in the middle, however, was a complete contrast, as he was only half the size of the other men. He was wearing a dark-blue fur coat, and his hair looked like a wig from the 17th Century. "Now, allow me first to welcome you to Ketsuwoo Island, the Bridge Central of the Grand Line, and my place of governing!" the shorter man began, but before he could continue, he saw that the Cross Skull Pirates were walking away from him. "H-hey, that's incredibly rude! I was trying to say something!"

Sighing, Zugai turned to face the trio again, crossing his arms. "Look, whatever this is about, make it fast; we're leaving town soon." he said, as the shorter man broke into an obnoxious laughter again.

"Oh, I'll make it quick, all right." he said, before clearing his throat. "I am Major Wana, and these are my associates; Sorgan Viggs and Omega." he said, motioning towards the men behind him, who merely nodded in response to this. "So, let's cut to the chase; visitors here are to pay a visiting tax of 50000 Beri per person, so I would appreciate it if you forked over 250000 Beri, more if you have more people with you in town." he added, as he suddenly smirked quite diabolically.

"250 grand?!" Chris suddenly exclaimed, as she stepped past Zugai. "You listen here, buddy; we haven't been on this island for more than ten minutes, and you expect us to pay just for such a quick visit?!" she yelled angrily, just as Wana began laughing again. "And what's so funny?!"

"Oh, my poor, clueless visitors…" Wana said, as he suddenly pulled a sawn-off shotgun from his coat, pointing it at the Cross Skulls, all whilst he smirked. "Nobody leaves without paying the price." Then, he looked around him at the horror-struck citizens. "Of course, I could just kill the number of people equal to how many of you are visiting, and I'd be generous enough to cut the price in half from there." he said, before pointing it at random around him, all whilst he laughed. However, as the pirates noticed, Viggs and Omega seemed to have grown quite tense at Wana's actions.

Just then, something flew at Wana, bouncing off his head, though he seemed only to be mildly annoyed by it. Turning his head, he saw that the object that had been thrown was a small rock, and turning it to the other side, he saw that a kid had thrown it at him, who the pirates would recognize as the same boy from earlier. "You're a bad man, mister! Get off our island!" he said with quite a pout, as some grown-ups around him quickly scuttled away from him out of fear.

"Hmph… some nerve you have, kid." Wana growled, as he pointed the shotgun at the boy, before grinning. "Consider this the payment for the cheeky boy with the hat." Then, everything went by in a split second. Wana pulled the trigger of the shotgun, but instead of striking the boy, the shot bounced off something white. Widening his eyes, he saw that Zugai had stepped in-between Wana and the boy, intercepting the shot with Honehakaisha. "Wha- what do you think you're pulling?!" Wana said angrily, pointing accusingly at Zugai.

Scoffing, Zugai slowly lifted the labrys out of the ground, before placing it over his shoulder. "Just what kind of attitude do you have?" he said calmly, as Wana, the pirates, the citizens, and even Viggs and Omega looked at him with some manner of surprise. "To think that you can easily pick off anyone here in town, just because you rule it…" Then, Zugai looked angrily at Wana, which frightened the shorter man. "That's unforgiveable!"

Reeling back, Wana looked from Zugai to the two men behind him. "Wh-what are you two just standing there for?!" he exclaimed, before he pointed at Zugai. "Kill him! Kill him this instant!" Just as he said that, all of the citizens but the boy ran away from the scene in a panic.

At that moment, Omega turned to face Zugai, and rushed at him with a speed unlike anything, just as he delivered a rapid series of punches that Zugai just barely avoided, as he got the kid out of harm's way. "You alright there, kid?" he asked, as he got up again, looking at Omega, who was now looking straight at him.

Just then, before the kid could answer, they heard something being torn from the ground, and as they turned to see what it was, they saw that Viggs had somehow grown his arm muscles to an even greater size, letting him rip a large chunk of the ground out from it, before he threw it into the air. "Batter Up!" Viggs then called, as he grabbed his large hammer, and just as the chunk descended, Viggs sent it flying right at Zugai.

Wasting no time, Zugai quickly lifted Honehakaisha, before he swung the weapon at the debris flying at him, slicing it in half. "Devil Fruit user…" he muttered, just as he heard something coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw that Omega rushed at him again, ready to deliver a punch to him.

"Kaenho Shaki Pondo Ho!" Suddenly, a blast of fire engulfed Omega, which stopped his charge at Zugai. As Zugai turned around, he saw that KC was holding Zanmato in his left hand, the blade glowing red. "Zugai, if you were gonna kick that guy's ass or something, then you'd best hurry; he's getting away!" As KC said this, Zugai did notice that Wana had now began hastily retreating from the site of battle.

"Hey, you wait there!" Zugai called, as he ran past the burning Omega, headed after Wana, who was a good distance ahead of him. "I'm not done with you yet!" When he said this, someone suddenly leapt in front of him, and this person turned out to be Viggs.

"'fraid I can't let you go any further." Viggs said calmly, as his arm muscles expanded once more, in an attempt to grab Zugai when he tried to pass by him. However, before this could happen, an arrow suddenly flew into Viggs' right arm, before it exploded, sending Viggs flying a distance.

"Zugai, we'll hold off these guys!" Krystal called, as she drew yet another arrow, and as it turned out, Chris and Craigmirra had prepared for battle as well. "You go on ahead and take care of that money-grubber, and we'll take care of these two!"

Nodding with a grin, Zugai continued running after Wana, just as Viggs got back up on his feet, shaking his head. "Gnh… this was exactly what we were tryin' to avoid." he muttered, before looking at Omega who still was on fire, without having uttered a single sound. "Hey, are you feeling alright, Omega?"

Then, the flames around Omega suddenly died out, as the pirates remaining saw that the only thing that had been burnt away was his hair, which fully revealed the plate covering his scalp. And to the pirates shock, inside of the plate was various mechanical parts, such as gears. "Damage to overall body…" Omega muttered, as his eyes closed. "…Minimal. Initiating counter-measure." Then, his right hand slowly retracted into his body, before a taser-like object emerged from it, with actual electricity sparking from its electrodes.

"Wha-wha-wha-wha-wha-WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!?!" KC exclaimed in shock upon seeing Omega's countermeasure. "His head- and his hand- What's with this guy?!" he yelled, just as Omega began aiming the taser at him.

"Get outta the way!" Chris suddenly yelled, as she pushed KC away from Omega's path, just as he shot the taser, the electrodes attaching to her left arm. "Shi-" Suddenly, electricity began jolting through her body, as she gritted her teeth in pain, her arm convulsing from the electricity being forced into her.

"Chris!" Krystal yelled, before looking angrily at Omega. "Whatever you are, don't you even think of hurting any of my friends!" she yelled, just as she shot three arrows at Omega, each of them exploding upon impact, which led to the taser being detached from Chris' arm, letting her fall to her knees. "You okay, Chris?"

"Y-yeah…" Chris replied, as she tried moving her left arm, but the taser had left it stunned. "Great… I'm down to just one arm here." she muttered, as she got to her feet. "Any ideas, Krystal?" she asked, holding her crescent dagger with her right arm.

However, before Krystal could reply, Craigmirra quickly ran past them, heading straight for Omega. "I'm gonna teach you, you… whatever-you-are!" she said, as she created a bubble in the palm of her right hand.

"Subject: Child." Omega muttered, as the taser retracted into his arm, just as some sort of cannon emerged from it. "Subduing target." he said, just as he aimed the cannon at Craigmirra, who still kept on running at him. Then, a green beam suddenly shot out of the cannon, striking Craigmirra head-on, but instead of doing any bodily harm to her, she was merely frozen in place, as the bubble in her hand popped.

"What the-" KC said, just as he saw Viggs rushing at him with his hammer ready. "What's with that guy? Is he some kind of robot?!" he groaned, as he rushed at Viggs with his swords, all of them turning blue, as he slashed at the hammer just as it was brought down on him, making it begin to freeze.

"You are half-way correct." Omega spoke up, as he turned away from the pirates, looking towards the clock tower. "I am a cybernetic organism; living tissue over a metallic endoskeleton." Then, he began walking away from the scene. "Your captain was unwise in pursuing Major Wana. I'll see to it that he comes back in one piece." As Omega walked away, he didn't seem to notice Chris rushing at him.

"Like I'll let you lay a hand on him!" she yelled, as she held the crescent dagger ready to slash at Omega, but he merely aimed the cannon at her, before blasting her with the same green beam. Then, before anyone could react, Krystal was blasted by the same green beam.

"GUYS!" KC called, just as he noticed Viggs having broken his hammer from the ice blades. "Damn… what did you do to them?!" he yelled at Omega, who continued to walk calmly towards the clock tower. Then, however, Viggs grabbed his entire torso, forcing him to drop his blades after a brief moment of struggling.

"Relax; they'll be alright." Viggs said calmly, as he looked at the frozen pirates for a moment, before looking down at KC again. "He only paralyzed them, so they'll be up and going again in a few minutes." Then, he let go of KC, before sitting down on the ground. "Now, first off, allow me to apologize for letting things get out of hand like this."

"Apologize…" KC muttered, before he shook his head. "What's going on here? What was with that guy and that talk about being a cybernetic something-or-another?" he asked, as he saw just how far away from them Omega had gotten.

"Well, let me just re-introduce ourselves…" Viggs muttered. "I am Sorgan Viggs, commonly known as the Brutal Interrogator, former Captain of the Marines." Then, he looked back at Omega, who was now only barely visible. "He is 0-MAG-4, or as he is usually referred to, Omega. He is a Cyborg found in the frozen wastelands up north, constructed from technology that's bound to be eight decades ahead of our current technology. He is also a former Marine, like me."

"A Cyborg…" KC muttered once more, remembering tales of Cyborg Franky and the World Government's Pacifista project. "But… why are someone formerly affiliated with the Marines working for a sleaze-ball like that guy?" he asked, as he noticed Viggs visibly frowning.

"That man may look like a coward, but he is cruel." Viggs responded, as he closed his eyes. "He would not think twice about killing the entire population of this island, so I and Omega decided to 'work for him', just so we could attempt to keep him under control. Sadly, three years later, no change has been made to his tyrannical grip on Ketsuwoo."

"But…" KC began, before shaking his head. "Let me get this straight, first off… Why is Omega heading after Zugai and that other guy?" he asked.

Viggs sighed, as he got back up on his feet, just as they heard someone fall to the ground. Looking by them, they saw that Craigmirra had stopped being frozen, and had comically enough collapsed on the ground. "Well…" he started, before looking towards the clock tower. "Wana is bound to head to the clock tower, which is his main residence. There, he can easily take down anyone foolish enough to follow him. I just pray that Omega can intercept your captain before the worst can happen…"

* * *

**A/N: **GAAAH, sorry for taking so long to update this time! There have been three things that have stopped me from writing, namely writer's block, lack of access to the computer, and the fact that I've started doing some voice work. So, I give you my humblest apologies for being late.

Now, some new characters! Sorgan Viggs is made by **GrayAegis**, and O-MAG-4/Omega is made by **Kisdota-The Freak Gamer**. And, if you read **SeeNoEvil121's** story, you might spot a nifty little cameo in this chapter. Well, with a warning that the next chapter might be somewhat brutal, remember to read and review, and I'll be seeing you!

**YolkaEd**


	43. Fall of a Dictator

Ryozo stood by the rocky coast by Howling Moon, his eyes closed, as he was holding the handle of his rock sword tightly. Then, he quickly opened his eyes, as a rock pillar shot out of the ground, headed straight towards him. In the blink of an eye, he sliced through the massive pillar with relative ease, though just as he looked back at the cut-through rock, the blade of the sword shattered. "Oh, son of a-" Ryozo groaned, as he looked at the bladeless handle of his sword, before throwing it casually to the ground. "Guess I have to make a new one."

"You've been doing that ever since Zugai and the others went to town, Ryozo." he could hear Nampu say, as he turned around to see the first mate leaning on the railing. "You ought to take a break. I heard Shin, Maria and Craigmirra are making some soup, and they need someone to see if it's any good."

Suddenly, a blur flashed by Nampu, as Ryozo quickly got onboard the ship, headed towards the kitchen. "I can help with that! Just leave it to me!" he called, as he entered the kitchen.

"Huh… well, that was a quick change in attitude." Nampu mused, before he looked back towards town. "Guy must really like soup." Then, he suddenly noticed someone approaching the ship in the distance. "Who the…" he muttered, as he squinted to see just who it was. "There's five guys…"

As it turned out, the ones approaching were KC, Krystal, Chris, Craigmirra and Sorgan Viggs, with Craigmirra sitting on top of Viggs' head, whilst Chris and Krystal were shaking their arms to see if the numbness had died out from having been paralyzed. "So why're you helping us out, again?" Chris asked Viggs, who only closed his eyes in response.

"While we are working for Major Wana, I and Omega aren't exactly what you'd call 'loyal' to the man." he replied bluntly. "As I said, we only worked under him to ensure the safety of the citizens, but it's not always been possible."

Krystal looked up at the larger man once she heard that. "But why is it so dangerous for Zugai to face that man?" she asked.

"Well…" Viggs began, just as Craigmirra leapt off his head, onto the Howling Moon, which they had finally fully approached. "Wana's a fond user of traps, and his clock tower is a breeding ground for those kinds of devices. Any unwise step could very well mean the end of your captain."

"End for Zugai? As if." Nampu suddenly spoke up, as Viggs finally noticed him. "If anyone tries to put that guy down, he'll just bounce right back up and put whoever did it down." Then, Nampu pointed at Viggs, as he looked curiously at Chris. "By the way, do you know who the fat guy is?"

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Fall of a Dictator**

**The Horrifying Powers of the Hone Hone no Mi**

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"Get back here!" Zugai called, as he kept on chasing after Wana through the streets, whilst people quickly got out of both the major's and Zugai's path out of fear. "Just what makes you think that you can go around and killing people like they're nothing but toys, huh?!" he yelled, which made Wana look over his shoulder, though he didn't stop running.

"L-like you have any reason to know that, you Neanderthal! Now get lost, will ya?" he yelled back, as he picked up the pace, when he suddenly made a sharp turn into an alley.

"I'm not gonna let you escape!" Zugai said, as he quickly turned into the alley as well, but he suddenly noticed that Wana had vanished. "What the…" Looking further ahead, he noticed that the alley went towards the clock tower. "That's it! He's got to have hidden himself there!" he said, before he rushed towards it.

As he thought, the doors to the clock tower were open, though it was only due to a shoddy attempt at closing it, so without sparing a second, Zugai ran inside of the clock tower, letting him see the various gears and devices that allowed the clockwork to function. "Hey, where the hell are you hiding?!" he yelled, though there came no reply at first. "Damn…"

Just then, he heard someone whistling, and from behind a corner, a man came walking. His hair was a flaming red color, and he had sideburns that matched this color. He also wore a brown cap, along with a matching janitor's outfit. He was also holding a broomstick over his shoulder, and several other cleaning tools were hanging on various parts of his body. A pencil was also tucked behind his right ear. "Ah, hello there. Can I help you?" the man asked, as he looked over at Zugai.

"Eh?" Zugai replied somewhat dumbfounded, before pointing at this man. "Who are you supposed to be?"

"Me?" the man replied with the same dumbfounded tone, before pointing at himself with his thumb. "I'm Yomuin Sojinin, but people usually call me Yomu. I'm the janitor around here."

"Right…" Zugai replied, before shaking his head. "Look, if it's not too much to ask, did you happen to see some short guy enter this tower?" he asked, as Yomu put his hand against his chin, leaning against the broom.

"Short guy…" he muttered, scratching his sideburns. "Wears a fur coat, has this kinda old-timey wig on his head?" he asked, as Zugai nodded, which led to Yomu snapping his fingers. "Ah, you're talkin' about Wana. Yeah, the guy passed through here. Seemed to be in quite of a huff…"

"I see…" Zugai replied, as he looked at the interior of the clock tower. "So, did you happen to see where he went?"

Yomu hummed, before lazily pointing his left thumb at a set of stair leading upwards. "Last I checked, the guy ran up there. Why'd you wanna know? Got an appointment with 'im, or something?"

Zugai nodded, as he began making his way up the stairs. "You could call it that. Thanks for the intel!" he called, as he hurried up the staircase.

Blinking, Yomu finally did a mere shrug, as he began sweeping the floor with the broom, starting to whistle the same tune from before. Suddenly, however, the doors blew open, straight off their hinges, something which didn't seem to startle him too much. "And you couldn't just open it like normal people… why?" he asked, as he looked at the silhouette in the doorway, who turned out to be Omega,

"Time is running out, Sojinin." the cyborg replied bluntly, before making his way towards the staircase. "I need to see Wana before it's too late." However, just as he was about to set foot on the stairs, a piece of paper flew at him, flung by Yomu.

"If you're gonna meet with the major, then at least give 'im that note." he said briefly, as he stuck the pencil in his mouth. "It says that I'm taking my vacation now; I got someplace to be." Then, he began walking towards the door, still whistling the tune.

Omega looked from Yomu to the note, before nodding. "Affirmative. Your message will be delivered." he said bluntly, as he stuffed the paper into a pocket on his jacket, before he began heading up the stairs, though he could easily spot Zugai several floors over him.

Zugai, having lightened his bones to achieve greater speed, was running blindly in the figurative sense up the staircase, gritting his teeth at thinking of how selfishly cruel this man could be. "That guy better come out from hiding, so I can teach him some manners!" he exclaimed angrily, as he began butting his fists together.

All of a sudden, however, an arrow just barely passed by Zugai's head, causing him to stop in his tracks, unaware that Omega was catching up to him. "Where the hell did that come from?" he muttered, just as he heard something fly past his head again; yet another arrow. "Is he hiding somewhere with a crossbow?" he asked, just as Omega got right behind him.

"Get down!" Omega suddenly called, as he pressed his arm against Zugai's body, slamming him to the ground, but before Zugai could even make a single attempt at stopping him, a hail of arrows began flying around the two of them, most of them embedding themselves into Omega's skin, yet he didn't seem to mind this at all. Then, almost as soon as it had started, it ended. "Are you unharmed in any sort of manner?" Omega asked, as he removed his hand from Zugai's body.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine…" Zugai muttered, as he got up again, letting him see the cyborg up close once more. "But wait just a minute here; I thought you worked with that corrupt major guy! If that's the case, then why didn't you just let those arrows kill me?"

Omega didn't say anything, but instead, he began removing arrows from his skin. "Your life is in danger if you continue proceeding up this tower. Wana has installed several life-threatening traps throughout this tower, designed to strike at anyone who is not himself, me, Sorgan Viggs, or Yomuin Sojinin." Then, he looked upwards at the end of the staircase. "I followed you simply to ensure that you wouldn't fall prey to his traps, Zugai Hibiware, also known as the Demon's Orthopedic."

Upon hearing Omega flawlessly recite both his name and epithet, Zugai recoiled a little, before regaining his composure. "Well, thanks for the warning…" Then, he suddenly turned back to face the stairs leading upwards. "…but I'm not leaving until I teach that guy a lesson!"

With that said, he began running up the stairs again, leaving Omega to watch him run upwards, before he sighed. "If that is the case, then I'm afraid I will have to incapacitate you, Demon's Orthopedic." He said, as his right hand entered his body, before it emerged as a drill, which quickly began spinning. Then, he began running up the stairs after Zugai, who once more resorted to lightening his bones to get up the stairs quicker.

As the two continued to climb the stairs, they soon heard a familiar, obnoxious laughter coming from all around them. "_You know, I find it amusing to see you exert yourself so drastically, just to take vengeance for something as petty as this._" Wana's voice said over loudspeakers cleverly hidden from sight, which only caused Zugai to grit his teeth in anger. "_How I treat my subjects is my business alone. An outsider such as you has no say in whether I decide to kill every last one in the village or not._"

Growling, Zugai turned his head in every conceivable angle to see if he could spot where Wana was talking from. "What the hell do you think those people are?! Pieces in a game of chess that you sacrifice to get to the opposing player's king?!" he yelled angrily out in thin air as he kept on running. "No ruler of any town should treat those underneath him as dirt, and I'm going to make sure that you get that through your thick head! I swear it!"

A scoff was heard coming from the loudspeakers, just as Zugai reached the top of the stairs, seeing a large hallway before him. "_Tough words for someone who's about to die._" Wana said, just as a spherical object was shot from a corner of the tower to the stairs, on a section lower than where Zugai stood, but conveniently enough, just behind Omega. Just as it made contact with the woodwork, however, it exploded, causing a god chuck of the stairs to be demolished, and also sending Omega flying upwards towards where Zugai stood, landing just besides the pirate.

"Hey, are you alright?" Zugai asked upon seeing him land, but as he moved to inspect Omega, he quickly saw that a portion of Omega's face had been burnt off from the explosion, revealing an eerie-looking exo-skeleton underneath, along with a red-glowing eye functioning as an eyeball. "Holy- you're a cyborg?" he said in disbelief, having completely ignored that Omega's right hand still was a drill.

"Affirmative." Omega responded, as he got up on his feet again, before his right hand reverted back into a hand. "I'm a cybernetic organism collected by Marine explorers in frozen wastelands, formerly an operative of theirs, but now I'm working with ex-Marine Captain Sorgan Viggs." he said, before placing a hand over where the explosion had burnt his face. "Sadly, it seems that I cannot simply take you down the stairs unharmed anymore, due to Major Wana's little hijinks." he added, before looking at the unstable remains of the stairs, which looked ready to crumble if anyone as much as breathed on it. "The only exit now is an emergency exit found only in Wana's quarters, so to escort you out of here, I have to bring you to the room where I can't bring you."

Zugai blinked at the cyborg's logic, before shrugging. "The irony is astounding, I see." he muttered, as Omega merely nodded in response. Sighing, Zugai scouted ahead in the hallway to see if Wana's room would be easily accessible, but sadly, that wasn't the case, as dozens of doors were scattered across the hall. "Ergh… how am I supposed to find him other than trial and error? He could be hiding behind any door!"

"It's a beginner's trap." Omega chimed in, before he walked up to one random door. "In the literal sense." With that, he suddenly kicked the door in, only for a huge boxing glove to appear from inside the room, which punched the cyborg across the room, startling Zugai somewhat. "Wana does this to throw off any eventual pursuers, hoping that the door traps would be sufficient for killing them." he said with a growl, as he got back on his feet, brushing off dust from his jacket.

"Right…" Zugai replied, as he threw a glance at the boxing glove. "Well, if you worked under him, you should know which room he's hiding in, right?"

Omega nodded, before pointing towards the end of the hall. "There is a lone door at the end of this hallway. That is where Wana's chamber is. Now let's hurry; the quicker I get you out of here, the better." Then, he began moving forward, when a siren began blaring throughout the hall.

"Wha- what's going on?" Zugai asked, as he looked in all directions, when Omega suddenly hoisted him on his shoulder. "Hey, what're you doing?"

"There's no time to explain. We have to move." Omega replied, before he began dashing through the hall, just in time for Zugai to realize that all of the doors were opening at the same time, unleashing a hail of arrows, spears, blades, gunfire, actual fire, and various other harmful elements at them, though Zugai was shielded by the cyborg's body covering him.

As they got closer to the end of the hallway, however, they could see an opening in the ceiling, which for some reason contained a large guillotine, ready to cut through both of them if they stepped underneath it. "This might get bumpy." Omega said bluntly, as his left hand turned into a three-barreled gatling gun, which he aimed at the door before opening fire, shredding the door to pieces in a manner of seconds, giving them enough time to run into the room before the massive guillotine made contact with the ground.

As they got to calm down from having nothing shoot at them rapidly, both Zugai and Omega sighed, but whilst Zugai did so out of relief, Omega did it out of disbelief. "Well, things can only go up from here." Zugai said with a whistle, when he heard Wana's obnoxious laughter, though now, it was much clearer, as if he wasn't speaking through a loudspeaker.

"Thanks a bunch, Omega, for leading the twerp up here." Wana said, as Zugai looked ahead to see the major stand before a window, overlooking the town and the bridge leading to Seisabetsu Island. "I was beginning to wonder if you were at least going to try to uphold that oath you swore." he said quite confidently, which Omega seemed to find unsettling.

"Alright; my move first, I guess." Zugai said calmer, though the way he drew Honehakaisha indicated that he was quite ready for a fight. "Now let's do this!" Then, he began rushing at Wana, though despite the difference in size, Wana merely smirked.

Then, a pair of concrete walls suddenly shot towards Zugai with the intention of flattening him, and in desperation, he extended his hands to block them from crushing him, his hardened bones creating a sturdy blockade, though it quickly became apparent that even with his powers, keeping the walls from crushing him seemed impossible. "Hah! Failing to observe where you fight is quite irresponsible, wouldn't you say?" Wana said with a laugh, as he slowly approached Zugai.

"Damn… looks like I'm going to get crushed. Why does this happen so often to me?" Zugai mused, recalling his fight with Count Megtapos. "I've got to stop rushing blindly at my opponents one of these days…"

Wana continued to laugh, which seemed to really get on the pirate's nerves. "How amusing! To see you so feebly attempting to escape your demise, with less than futile results is just hilarious! Perhaps even more amusing than collecting taxes, might I add!"

Zugai raised an eyebrow at this statement. "You have a strange sense of humor, I have to say." Zugai said dryly, when he felt something in his arm beginning to crack; most likely his humerus. _Damn… the walls are beginning to tear on my skeleton._

"You just don't understand my more sophisticated humoristic sense." Wana scoffed, before immediately laughing again. "After all, charging the citizens twice as much as visitors each month is just so hilarious in the long run!"

This statement, however, made Zugai narrow his eyes in an angered manner. "What did you just say?" he muttered, as the cracking in his arms began to intensify, though he didn't seem to be bothered by it.

"What, didn't you catch it the first time?" Wana said in mock-disbelief, before laughing obnoxiously once more. "I charge each and every citizen in this town a hundred thousand Beri each and every month, and if they can't pay the price, their lives are forfeit! True, it may not have been as lucrative as one might have expected… but the sheer look of terror on their faces when taxation time comes around is oh-so refreshing, even after three years!" With that, he began laughing once again, but now, he was cut off by Zugai kicking him in the shin, though it wasn't half as powerful as it could have been. "Hn?"

"First off, stop laughing. It's very irritating and straining to my ears." Zugai said in mild annoyance, though his face screamed bloody murder, which even Wana was slightly intimidated of. "Second, that haircut is just ridiculous. The fact that people actually find you scary is the only thing that's remotely funny around here. And third…" Now, the cracking in Zugai's arms only became more severe, but Zugai didn't seem to give it a single thought. "I am going to kill you in ways more terrible than you can possibly imagine, you dwarfish, sorry excuse for a ruler." he said, though now his tone had gone from mildly annoyed to demonically cruel, which sent a shiver down Wana's spine, before he calmed himself.

"Is that all you have to say?" Wana said mockingly, before turning away from Zugai. "Well, I'll just wait for you to turn into dust to my trap, then. Have a nice death, as they say!" he said, as he prepared to laugh again, but the sound of something being pushed away made him turn his head back again, only to be quite horrified.

As it turned out, Omega had walked up to the two walls, before effortlessly pushing them away from Zugai, whose arms suddenly fell limp, and the pirate sighed in relief. "O-Omega! Just what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Wana exclaimed angrily, though Omega looking down at him suddenly made him flinch.

"I am sorry to say, Wana…" Omega began, before he closed his eyes. "…that this boy has perfectly summed up what I and Sorgan Viggs have kept to ourselves for three years in all under two minutes." Then, he opened his eyes again, both the regular and the exo-skeletal one glinting red. "So, consider our allegiance severed."

Reeling back in shock, Wana quickly drew his sawn-off shotgun with his left hand, but Zugai's bony hand suddenly grabbing that arm made Wana drop it in shock. "Say, do you know about the synovial joints of the human skeleton?" Zugai began, as Wana feebly tried to escape Zugai's grip. "A sub-type of those joints is called hinge joints. Do you know why they're called that?" he asked, as Wana still tried escaping from the grip.

"I- Let go of me, you brute!" he exclaimed, though Zugai didn't let go; in fact, he only strengthened the grip, when he suddenly grabbed the elbow of the arm he held onto.

"They're called hinge joints because they work in the same way as a door; the hinges are what enable the door to open and close without falling apart. Now, do you know what happens when the hinges of a door are forced the opposite way?" Zugai continued in a progressively creepier voice, which only caused Wana to start freaking out, which forced Zugai to strengthen the grip on Wana's arm. "Answer me."

"Tsch…" Wana uttered, before gritting his teeth in pain. "The door… the door is blown open." he answered, as Zugai nodded approvingly, though the grip was only strengthened.

"Good, good…" Zugai said, before he began bending the elbow the opposite way it was supposed to be bent. "Now, as hinge joints do not support any doors, what do you think happens when they're forced the opposite way, hm?" he continued, but this time, he didn't bother for a reply, as he was certain that Wana didn't know the answer. "Well, let's find out!" Then, in a swift movement, Zugai effectively bent the elbow in the completely opposite way, coupled with a grisly snap, and a pain-laded scream from Wana.

"MY GOD!" Wana screamed, as he looked at how his arm had been bent out of place, but surprisingly, no drops of blood or ripped-apart chunks of skin were visible on it; in fact, no visible injury was on the arm, and if it hadn't been for the fact that it was bent out of place, it would appear like a normal arm. "Wha- what did you do to me?!" he exclaimed, just as Zugai grabbed his other arm.

"I'm doing what every one of the citizens here should have done to you for everyone you've harmed here." Zugai said calmly, yet still very threatening, just as he viciously bent Wana's right elbow out of place, which prompted yet another yell of pain from the major.

However, Zugai was far from done, as he suddenly grabbed hold of Wana's knees, before quickly bending them in the same way as he had done with the elbows, invoking another cry of pain from Wana. "Please, stop it! I'm begging you!" Wana cried in misery, though his pleads fell on deaf ears.

"You're a little late for that now." Zugai said menacingly, just as he grabbed Wana's throat with his right hand, before raising his left hand into the air. Then, he suddenly slammed the skeletal hand into Wana's face, which actually created a small crater underneath his head. "I'm hardening the bones in my left hand whilst I'm weakening the structure of your cranium, intensifying the pain you feel whenever I strike you." he said in a calm and chilling tone, before he continued hammering Wana, who couldn't even form any words to beg for the pirate to stop.

However, after knocking him into the ground for the fifteenth time, Zugai felt someone grab his hand, and looking back, he saw that it was Omega who was holding him back. "He is not worth the effort." Omega began, as he shook his head. Upon hearing that, Zugai looked down at the battered major, before reluctantly letting go of him.

"Hmph… so, Omega, was it?" Zugai asked, as he looked up at the cyborg. "If this guy's been hounding on this town's economy for three years, where does he keep the stash?"

Omega blinked for a second, before looking to his right. "Over there." he said, as he motioned to a red safe standing against the wall. "In that safe lies all the money Wana as accumulated for the past three years. Are you going to return it to the town?"

Zugai nodded briefly, and after putting his glove back on his left hand, he began advancing towards the safe. However, without either Omega or Zugai noticing, Wana slowly got up as best he could, with the intent of finding something within his coat. "Who shaid that yu can shteel my money?!" he yelled as best he could with his face smashed to a pulp, before suddenly throwing something at Zugai, striking his arm. As it turned out, it was a throwing knife made out of seastone, which prompted a yell of pain from the pirate.

"You… just don't know when to call it quits, do you?" Zugai said somewhat weakly, as he pulled the dagger out of his wound, before he turned towards Wana with a look that could kill. Then, at a speed unfathomable to man, he approached the frightened major, planting his hand on the man's face. Then, everything occurred in a flash. Wana felt that every injury to his skeleton was suddenly removed, as if someone snapped his arms into place. Then, Zugai suddenly appeared behind him, though Wana seemed alright, even smirking quite confidently.

_That… was nothing…_ Wana thought, as he stood completely still, the smirk not fading a single inch. _I… live…_

"Wrong." Zugai said in a correcting tone, before turning towards Wana. "You're already dead." he added, as it turned out that he was holding a skeleton in his left hand. However, Wana didn't turn back to Zugai in shock, because that skeleton was his own, forcing him to stand completely still. Then, as a trickle of blood ran from his mouth, blood began spraying out of his elbows and knees, just as his body began deflating like a balloon, turning into a boneless blob of flesh that was hidden underneath the fur coat.

Omega, whilst still not displaying any emotion, looked at the remains of Wana with a slight hint of disgust, before looking over at Zugai. "Was that necessary?" he asked bluntly, before turning away from the remains, heading towards the safe.

"No." Zugai responded just as bluntly, before passing by the remains. "But he had it coming. At least the town will be free from his rule." Then, he walked up to the throwing knife lying on the floor, before picking it up with his gloved hand. "Chris might like this." he mused, as he spun it in his gloved hand for a while. "How do you open the safe?"

Omega shrugged upon hearing this, before he picked the safe up with one hand. "I've forgotten the code to the safe, but I know that it'll open from a heavy impact." Then, he suddenly threw the safe out of the window, letting it fall to the ground with a mighty thud, opening it and spilling its contents.

"Not too bad." Zugai said with a nod, before cracking his neck. "Well, now that we're done here, I'll have to get back to my ship. See ya!" Then, he suddenly ran towards the smashed window, leaping out of it as well, something that did surprise Omega.

"He is energetic for his age." the cyborg mused, as he started looking for the emergency exit, when he heard something that began beeping. As he looked for the source, he heard that the sound was coming from his own jacket. "What the…?" In curiosity, he dug into his pocket to see what it was, only to find the note Yomu had left him. "Huh… probably nothing." he sighed, before throwing the note behind him. However, just as it hit the ground, it exploded behind him, sending him propelling out the window as well, right behind Zugai.

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"And boom goes the dynamite." someone said, as he stood by the bridge leading to Seido Island, where a small raft was waiting for him. "Well, now I know that Major Wana is deceased." he added, as he began chewing on a pencil, just as he leapt on the raft. "Now, I got a council to attend, and I got little time to get there… so I'll show up fashionably late." he said, as it turned out to be Yomuin Sojinin.

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**A/N: **And the end of Ketsuwoo Island has arrived! Next chapter, we'll finally be leaving for the arc that I've been dying to write, so until next time, remember to read and review, and we'll be seeing one another again!

**YolkaEd**


	44. The Man They Call Dokusai part 1

On the shore of Seisabetsu Island, the black and orange boat had been anchored so that Morte, Akira and Vraspos could step on dry land. "Aah, nothing beats stepping on stable ground after days in a dinghy." Morte yawned, as he stretched his limbs, now fully ridden of bandages, showing some scars that remained from his fight with Zugai on Atsumari Island.

"You really shouldn't be moving around like that, Morte." Akira said in a concerned tone, as he looked at their surroundings; the most noteworthy part of the island was a huge medieval-looking castle with only six windows visible at the very top of it. "You sure he lives here, Morte?"

Morte responded with a chuckle, before pressing his right index and middle fingers against the bridge of his nose. "When was the last time I've been wrong about anything, Akira?" he said as he gave his partner a cocky glare.

"Well, there was that one time where you assumed that a pirate crew would easily fall underneath us after poisoning half of their crew, only to have that plan slam you straight in the face." Vraspos shot in bluntly, as he smirked arrogantly when he saw Morte frown and Akira hold in a giggle.

"Tha-that didn't count." Morte said quickly, waving his hand at Vraspos. "That's what I'm going to prove when we re-encounter those Cross Skull Pirates. The hell with Steel Scythe's payment, I just want to crush that pirate underneath my blade."

Just as he said this, the three heard the sound of laughter surrounding them, which sounded like female laughter. "My, my, Aven, looks like we've found ourselves some men to play with!" someone said, as the bounty hunters spun around to see two girls standing before them. The one who spoke to them had long red hair kept in a ponytail, which reached down to her waist. She was wearing a pink, sleeveless shirt and a pair of blue shorts that just reached two inches above her knees. She also wore sandals, and a sword was hanging on her back.

"S-sure, whatever you say, Haze…" the second girl said, as she was actually hiding behind the first one. Her hair was brown with orange tips, and she was just two inches shorter than Haze. She wore an orange tank top and black pants along with matching shoes, and a silver bracelet was wrapped around her left wrist. She was also wearing a triangular backpack on her back. "But… what if they talk to me?" she whispered nervously, which only caused the bounty hunters to blink in confusion.

"Right…" Morte said, before clearing his throat. "Listen, kids, we have business here, and we have no time for your games, so if you would kindly-" he began, when Aven suddenly turned stiff, before trying to conceal herself more behind Haze. "Look, no offense, but you're wasting precious time. Go play with someone else, you hear?"

"Now vy vould ve do dat?" another female voice suddenly said, as someone came from behind Haze and Aven, looking at Morte sternly. She was a few inches smaller than Aven, and like Haze, her hair reached down to her waist, though hers was light blue. She was wearing a white lab coat, which was covering a green tank top with a pink floral design, which failed to cover her stomach, where a scar was visible. She also wore a black miniskirt underneath the coat, and her shoes were red and high-heeled. She held a pink purse in her left hand, and tied around her head was a pink bandana with a white X on it. "You just arrived ere, so it vould be rude of us not to velcome you properly." she added, a Russian accent clearly detectable in her voice.

"Miss Veronica is right." yet another female voice said, as a huge, stitched doll lumbered past Aven and Haze, standing besides them. The doll was reminiscent of a voodoo doll, with long black hair adorning its head, whilst wearing a full body, black dress, with white, feathery wings protruding from its back. Its left eye was a red button, whilst a simple cross mark constituted its right one. Its hands were also peculiar; the left was like a normal hand, but the right was three-clawed, and more demonic in form. On the doll's shoulder, however, sat a girl about half the doll's size, who was wearing the exact same outfit as the doll, having the same hairstyle, but her eyes were blue, cold and unfeeling. "To leave so soon would make Leona sad. And Leona hates being sad."

Akira couldn't help but feel slightly intimidated, but Morte and Vraspos merely looked at the four girls and the doll, before Morte suddenly scoffed. "No matter how many of you there are, we simply do not have time for your little tea-parties. Now scram, or we'll make you scram." he said, just as Haze began laughing.

"C'mon, don't be such a killjoy, man!" she said, which seemed to only agitate Morte more and more. "Besides…" she began, just as she, Aven, Veronica and Leona pointed simultaneously at them. "Lord Dokusai would be honored to meet you, Morte del Astuto, also known as Manigordo."

As she said this, both Akira and Vraspos reeled back, whilst Morte merely crossed his arms. "Well, I'd like to meet Dokusai myself, but…" Then, he suddenly broke into laughter. "We won't need your escort. So unless you have an army parked around the corner, then I suggest you take a hike!"

As he said this, all four of the girls smirked. Then, before anyone could make any kind of move, the entire area was surrounded by various women, each and every one of them aiming a weapon at the three bounty hunters. "And I'd suggest that unless you have an army packed in that boat, you come with us peacefully, Manigordo." Haze said, as she lifted her left arm into the air. "Hail Lord Dokusai!"

Just then, all of the women proceeded to do as Haze did, lifting their left arms into the air, and at the same time worshipping Dokusai. What made it all the creepier was that the women slowly began advancing towards the bounty hunters, all whilst chanting the same three words over and over again. "Hmph… if that's the way it's going to be…" Morte began, just as he turned into his human/ocelot hybrid, before grabbing his kris. "Let's go."

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Man They Call Dokusai part 1**

**Journey to Seisabetsu Island!**

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As the paper exploded, sending Omega and Zugai flying away from the clock tower, a series of explosions suddenly struck the entirety of the tower's inner structure, almost like someone had set a series of time-based explosives all over the clock tower. Regardless, the entire tower exploded, as everything within it that wasn't incinerated (such as the remains of Wana) was crushed as the tower collapsed in on itself, sinking into a pile of rubble where it once stood proudly.

However, the explosion miraculously sent the still-open safe flying a distance over the town, sending Beri coins and money bills floating down on the awestruck citizens. Soon, the safe landed on a slope, with the opening facing down towards a deeper part of town, when the coins and bills that didn't fall out from its aerial trek began tumbling down the slope, which once more confused the citizens, though not for long, as the massive amounts of money, coupled with the destruction of the tower, marked the end of Wana's tyrannical rule over Ketsuwoo Island.

The explosion was viewable all over the island, though it didn't spread further than the square the tower was located in, which had long since been deserted. Even the pirates waiting by the Howling Moon saw the explosion, wondering just what could have caused it.

"Huuuuge!" Craigmirra said in awe, as she held onto the railing, watching the smoke erupting upwards from the explosion. "Did someone light a fire?"

"I doubt anyone could light a fire that immense." Viggs said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms. "To me, that looks more like an explosion."

"Hey, you guys don't suppose…" Chris began, scratching her head. "You don't suppose Zugai went a little overboard in teaching that major a lesson?"

"Anything less would surprise me." Nampu said bluntly, placing his chin in the palm of his left hand. "But he's sure taking his time this time around." he added, before casually looking to the sky, when his eyes widened. "Uh oh…"

"What's wrong?" Krystal asked, just as she looked up where Nampu was looking. Squinting, she could make out a single trail of smoke shooting out of the larger ball of smoke, headed towards the Howling Moon. "Wait…" she muttered, as she could hear something grow progressively louder and louder. "That sound… it couldn't be…?"

"LOOK OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUUUTTT!!!" the voice yelled, just as everyone aboard the ship, either out of panic or out of knowing better, suddenly cleared away from the railing, as the smoke trail headed towards them turned out to be Zugai and Omega, as Omega's propulsion out of the tower due to the exploding paper had lead to the cyborg crashing into Zugai, which had sent both of them flying right towards the ship, before crashing right into Zugai's workshop.

"Holy- Was that Zugai just now?" Ryozo and KC exclaimed at the exact same moment, as everyone present quickly scurried back on the ship to see how much damage had been caused. As it turned out, a good chunk of the wall barring passage into the workshop had been blown asunder, as a white-grayish smokescreen billowed out of the hole, when suddenly, Omega emerged from the hole.

"That went better than expected." Omega sighed, before he suddenly pulled out something that had embedded itself into his back; namely Honehakaisha, which had been propelled out of the tower along with Omega. Just then, a wail of fear emerged from the hole, surprising everyone there. "Hm?" the cyborg hummed, as he looked behind him to see if Zugai really was ok.

"Nobody move!" they could hear Zugai say, just as a chunk of bone-made woodwork was thrown out the hole, before Zugai emerged from the hole, relatively unscathed. "The wall's still in one piece! If someone could spare some heat, we can weld it back into place." he said, as he inspected the broken wall thoroughly to make sure that it wasn't broken in any way. As he did this, the Cross Skull Pirates couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of seeing their captain freak out like that over a wall.

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"And just HOW did this happen?" After KC and Viggs volunteered to weld the wall back to where it belonged, Ryozo had insisted on checking on Zugai's injuries, and whilst Zugai himself wasn't too badly injured, his skeleton showed otherwise, with his arms being cracked in various places due to Wana's last-resort plan. Right now, he, Ryozo, Omega, Maria and Craigmirra were in the infirmary, with Ryozo inspecing the cracked skeletal arms, which Zugai had to remove from his body for Ryozo to even check on them.

"A pair of walls tried crushing me back in that tower." Zugai replied bluntly, as he looked up at the cyborg, who made no effort in hiding his exposed exo-skeleton. "If it hadn't been for Omega here, I'd probably be a whole lot flatter." he added, the delivery of the line making Craigmirra giggle.

"B-but putting that aside…" Maria stuttered, as she too looked up at Omega. "Doesn't that… hurt?" she asked, as Omega merely shook his head in response.

"Being a machine, I am incapable of feeling various emotions, such as pain, anger, sorrow…" Omega finally said, as he ran his hand down the part of his face which had been burnt off back in the clock tower. "The loss of living tissue is not a major concern. Cells built into my skin are designed to repair flesh wounds such as this when I recharge my energies." As he said this, he tapped his finger against his own scalp. "I do so by absorbing solar energy via this dome, so come morning, I'll look like any ordinary human being." After saying this, he bowed quickly, before exiting the infirmary.

"So what're we going to do now?" Craigmirra asked, as she looked up at Zugai. "Now that the stuck-up leader guy is gone, we're pretty much done here, right?" Before Zugai could reply to this, Ryozo cleared his throat.

"I'm not too clear on the details, but according to Chris, you went after the bad major of this island to his clock tower." Ryozo began, as he began shaking his head. "Then, the tower explodes. Did you happen to have something to do with that, captain?" he added, before looking at Zugai with a smirk that simply said 'Come on, admit it'.

Zugai shrugged as best as he could without his arms connected to his body, before he looked out the door, which Omega had left open when he exited the infirmary. "Actually, I only got to pound the major senseless before Omega forced us to stop. After he showed me where a safe containing vast amounts of money, we threw it outside, I jumped out the same window we threw the safe through, and then the clock tower exploded. I'm guessing that Wana's buried underneath the remains of the tower." he said, before closing his eyes. True, what he said wasn't necessarily the truth, but it was not a complete lie either. Besides, the crew would probably find it somewhat morbid of him to tear Wana's skeleton out of his body, regardless of his reasoning for doing so.

Ryozo sighed, before nodding. "Well, I'll just have to take your word for it. But regardless, you'll have to stay in bed until we get to Seisabetsu, Zugai." he said, just as he grabbed Zugai's skeleton arms, which produced a confused look from Zugai and a piercing one from Craigmirra. "Not that you're in any ill condition, but I'll have to fix up your arms before you can use them. If only one was broken, I'd have no doubts about you fixing them on your own, but as doctor on this ship, I won't have my captain break himself in trying to fix something."

After hearing Ryozo say this, Zugai nodded with a smirk. "Well, if it's what the doctor recommended…" he said, when the door to the infirmary suddenly opened, revealing Viggs standing there. "Oh, hi! How's the wall coming along?" he asked, as Viggs merely smiled in return.

"We've just finished it. Your friend KC certainly has a great power on his side. It's more refined than my Suji Suji no Mi." Viggs began, before shaking his head. "Moreover, your Log is pointing towards Seisabetsu, isn't it?" he asked, as Zugai gave a little nod.

"That's right, and that's the place we're headed right now." Zugai replied, just as he got a somewhat thoughtful look on his face. "By the way, how long will it take for us to reach that place, anyway?"

Viggs got a concerned look on his face, before turning away. "It will take three days with this ship, but I doubt that it can even get halfway there before the Log will readjust itself according to Ketsuwoo's magnetic field. However, if you use the bridge, you can cut the travel time by two days." Then, he began heading out the door, before looking back at Zugai. "Maybe you all should come see how to get on the bridge."

As Viggs left, Zugai, Craigmirra and Maria looked over at Ryozo, who looked dumbfounded back at them, before realizing why they were staring at him. "Oh, of all the- fine, I suppose Zugai can see that part before going to bed." he said in defeat, before helping Zugai get on his feet, just as Craigmirra gave a little cheer and Maria let a giggle escape her lips.

Soon, the four were headed for the main deck, where Omega, Viggs and the rest of the crew already were waiting, with Jin carefully maneuvering the ship towards the bridge. Zugai also happened to notice that the sails had been hoisted, for reasons unknown. "So how is this going to help us get Moon on the bridge?" Jin asked, looking towards Viggs, who had his arms crossed.

"Just wait and see. Once you get underneath it, everything moves like smooth machinery." he said, before he suddenly ran towards the railing, leaping off the ship before landing back on shore, to the surprise of the pirates. "Well, it's been a pleasure meeting you, Cross Skull Pirates."

"Wh-what do you mean?" Shin asked in a confused tone. "Aren't you gonna come with us?"

As she said this, however, Viggs merely chuckled. "No, I don't think I'm cut out for a pirate's life. Besides, the people of Ketsuwoo are going to need someone to govern the town in place of Wana, lest the island be overrun by other tyrants." he said, as he turned back to the ship. "What about you, Omega? Would you help me fix the damage Wana did to this place?"

Omega stood silent for a while, before shaking his head. "Not at the moment. I might come back to help you later, but I feel that I should keep an eye out for these pirates, what with the state Seisabetsu's been in lately."

"I see." Viggs said, before laughing. "You may not look like it, but you sure got a soft spot for people, Omega! Take care of 'em for me too, will ya?" he called, as he put his hands on his hips. Before the curious pirates could question either the cyborg or Viggs, however, once Howling Moon got directly underneath the bridge, it suddenly came to a complete halt, and not even Jin's powers could make the ship budge.

"Okay, what the hell's going on?" Nampu asked with a small hint of worry in his voice, when suddenly, they felt the ship shake. "Turbulence?" he exclaimed, just as he threw a glance upwards, when he saw that there was a large hole, about the same size as Howling Moon, opening up in the bridge. "What the-"

Before anyone could say another thing, a massive tube suddenly emerged from underneath them, surrounding them as it connected itself to the hole in the bridge. "Now is probably a good time to explain just how these bridges work." Omega said, as he sat down on the deck. "Without going into much detail, they work in the same manner as garden hoses."

As the cyborg said this, suddenly, the Cross Skull Pirates saw that their ship was slowly elevating itself from the water surface. "You mean that it's used to carry water from one place to another?" Chris asked, as Omega merely nodded.

"Not only water, but also ships of varying sizes." he responded, as the ship began elevating itself faster. "The tube functions as some sort of vacuum; it sucks water from the ocean floor into the tube, letting it flow out on the bridge top. If a ship is sitting on top of the water being sucked up by the tube, it'll be launched in the direction where the bridge is going at a high speed, cutting traveling times by a large margin."

As he was talking, soon, the ivory ship had been elevated through the hole, before slowly being rotated so that the figurehead was pointing towards Seisabetsu Island; the way the bridge was going. When it had been elevated to that point, the hole sealed itself, but the cover of the hole had several smaller holes in it, which let the water keep flowing both in front and behind the ship. However, behind the ship, the water was being gathered inside a hose connected to a machine lying parallel with the bridge's surface, where some sort of timer was ticking down from five.

Upon seeing the machine, Craigmirra suddenly gaped in excitement, before turning to face Omega. "So does that mean…?" Three…

Omega nodded before Craigmirra could even finish the question. "Yes…" Two… "In essence, the bridges of Ketsuwoo Island…" One… "The bridges are flat, high-speed waterslides."

Suddenly, the water in the machine was launched out of it with an enormous amount of pressure, sending it passing underneath Moon at speeds not viewable by the naked, human eye. This, in turn, led to the ship being pulled away from where it stood dormant, sending it zooming away from Ketsuwoo, leaving Viggs to wave them goodbye.

"So that's why the sails were hoisted!" Zugai said, as he struggled not to be thrown off his feet, since he was still lacking anything that would keep his arms solid. "If we had them lowered, they would've been ripped to shreds from the wind pressure!"

"Precisely." Omega replied, as he finally stood up, the speed of the ship not affecting him in any way, despite the pirates trying to stand firm. "We should move slower the closer to Seisabetsu we get, so there's no reason to worry about being thrown off the ship due to high speeds."

"Well, that may be fine and all…" Nampu suddenly spoke up, as he looked at Omega with a raised eyebrow. "But just what is such a threat that you feel the need to accompany us?"

As Nampu asked this, all of the pirates turned to face the cyborg, who looked at them for a moment, before sighing. "Rumor has it that a cruel man known as Dokusai has his home on that island." he began, crossing his arms once more. "Unlike Wana, however, the man is fatal both up-close and from a distance. I would advise all of you to remain on the ship until the Log readjusts itself." After he had finished his explanation, he saw that most of the crew seemed worried; only Zugai, KC, Chris and Ryozo remained undaunted.

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Later that night, as Omega had predicted, the ship's speed had dropped, but though it no longer retained the speed it had started with, it was still going reasonably fast. It was Krystal's turn to keep watch this night, but Omega had insisted on helping her keep watch, as he explained that moonlight, while still not as potent as sunlight, still helped him recharge his cells.

Right now, Zugai was lying fast asleep in the infirmary, snoring silently to himself, when the sound of a door lightly creaking open could be heard through the room. However, Zugai didn't seem to hear this, as he kept on snoring. The one who had opened the door, however, seemed to have counted on that, as said figure slowly tip-toed its way to Zugai, reaching a hand out to gently tap his shoulder.

As it did so, however, Zugai suddenly sprung up from his lying-position, before looking over at just who it was who had tapped him, who turned out to be Chris, surprisingly enough not wearing her hat, leaving her red hair exposed. "Chris… what are you doing out of your bed during this hour?" he asked dumbfounded, as the redheaded thief turned on a single light.

"Zugai, I've just been wondering… did you just stop at beating that major guy up?" she asked with a serious look on her face, and Zugai, after contemplating on how to answer that question, shrugged.

"Well, I did stop there…" he began, as he looked up into the white roof. "…but the guy got me in the arm with a Seastone throwing dagger, and I retaliated by… ripping out his entire skeleton." he murmured, but loud enough for Chris to hear it, as she opened her mouth in what seemed to be shock.

"You did WHAT?" she exclaimed, as Zugai was expecting some kind of reprimand, when suddenly, Chris burst into laughter. "Holy shit, you actually- Damn, I mean… that's just awesome!" she said in between laughs, which made Zugai chuckle as well.

"Ah, speaking of…" Zugai began, as he motioned towards his jacket, which was hanging on a chair. "I got the dagger as a bonus, and I figured since you seem to like knives and whatnot…" He didn't have to say another word, as Chris was now actively rummaging through Zugai's jacket, trying to locate the dagger. "H-hey, be careful with it; I like it the way it is, and if it gets more ripped up, Shin'll stitch up all the holes…"

Meanwhile, outside, Krystal was keeping watch by the figurehead, whilst Omega was sitting in the crows nest, reading through a book with his eyes functioning as a light. Just as he was about to flip a page, he heard someone step into the crows nest, and turning around, he saw Craigmirra. "Hiya, cyborgie! What'cha reading?" she asked, as she tried looking over his shoulder to see what he read, when he shut the book close, to her dismay.

"I am reading through a collection of stories that have been told throughout the ages, and also on how some of them could be interpreted as mass-produced propaganda or retellings of the naked truth." he responded, noticing Craigmirra's confused look. "In short, it's a book on how fairy tales may or may not be true, or plausible at least."

"Really?" Craigmirra quipped, as she sat herself closer to the cyborg. "Could you name one of the stories that were written about in that book?"

Omega nodded, before opening the book on the page he had begun flipping to. "This story, for example; the tale of Montblanc Norland, also known as Norland the Liar." he began, skimming through the text quicker than Craigmirra did. "Whilst the tale suggest that the king was a noble lord and Norland was nothing but a liar, recent studies have pointed out that Norland's theory of the so-called 'City of Gold' having been submerged was not too far off."

Craigmirra nodded, when suddenly, she grabbed her forehead in pain for the briefest of moments, before letting go. "I see… so, Omega, was it?" she said, before turning to look the cyborg directly in the eyes. "Is there any way for you to, I don't know, do some kind of emergency shut-down, in case people try to dig information out of you?"

Omega looked curiously at the girl, who seemed relatively harmless enough, before shrugging. "I stay shut down for eight hours when it is activated, so I can perform the action that humans call 'sleeping', even though my systems aren't in need of sleep." he said, before lightly tapping the side of his neck. "There is a hidden switch underneath my skin located by my neck. If pressed, I go into a resting mode, and only by remaining dormant for eight hours or receiving a strong impact to the head, I can reactivate my systems. But tell me; why would you want to-"

Suddenly, Craigmirra suddenly pushed her fingers against the area Omega had pointed out, when his head suddenly fell limp, as if he had fallen asleep. "Oh, no reason." Craigmirra said, though as it turned out, her eyes had gone from being bright blue to being blank and emotionless, though she still retained a creepy smile. "No reason at all…" she said again, before she slowly began descending from the crows nest, heading to the girl's resting room, where Chris had entered moments earlier, not having seen Craigmirra's action.

However, in the shades of the ship, a small figure had seen this act, before it sighed to itself. "He is quick when it comes to women, that Dokusai…" the figure whispered, as he began melting both literally and metaphorically into the shadows. "Let's just hope that nothing ill comes of this…"

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**A/N: **GAAAAAARGHH, so sorry for the lack of updates; I've had the mother of all writers blocks crushing my fingers for so long, but now that we're at the stage I've been dying to write, I'll see if updates can't become a little more frequent. Anyways, remember to read and review, and I'll see you for the next one!

**YolkaEd**


	45. The Man They Call Dokusai part 2

"Where is he?!" Onboard the Marine ship of Napoleon Bane, the captain of said ship was frantically searching for someone. "The moment something goes awry, he decides to just leave?! He's a walking time-bomb, and even the Admirals are wary of that man! If we can't find him, then- WHY ARE YOU GUYS JUST MOPING ABOUT?!"

The last statement was directed at Netok, Kei and Ryder, the latter two, still wearing their armor, having put up a barbecue on the main deck, and the former taking a sunbath. "Eh? Something wrong, Captain Bane?" Ryder asked dumbfounded, as he removed his red helmet. "You should probably take a break; too much stress is not good for your nerves."

Ryder probably shouldn't have said that, but he was not psychic, so he was fully unaware of why Bane was so worked up. Needless to say, Bane let one of his arms grow in size, intending to smack Ryder around a bit to teach him some manners, when a gold gauntlet suddenly grabbed the enlarged arm, showing Kishikiyoi holding Bane off from attacking. "Leave them be, Bane; they're trying to calm themselves before they meet up with the Cross Skulls again, right?" Though their response was delayed, Kei and Ryder soon nodded, with Netok merely giving a lazy thumbs-up.

"Grrmph, happy-go-lucky knight…" Bane murmured, before his arm shrunk, leaving the diminutive Marine to start pacing back and forth. "I cannot believe this. First there's the matter about Dokusai, then you come aboard and bring with you news of this Manigordo, and now Gigaku's gone missing! I swear, the ways someone's day could be ruined…"

"Gigaku's missing?" Kishikiyoi asked, with a skeptical look on his face hidden underneath his helmet. "What's so big a problem with that? He's probably been summoned to headquarters, or something."

Bane growled, as he looked up at the taller knight. "You don't know Gigaku the way we on the Grand Line do, Kishikiyoi. He may work for the World Government, but he is a loose cannon. He cares not for the safety of the citizens; in fact, he sees them only as pawns in his experiments, which is why we keep him on our ships at all times."

However, before Bane could continue talking, they heard the sound of someone shrieking, and as the Marines present turned their heads towards the sound, they saw Illith running towards them, obviously quite flustered. "Hey, Illith, what's wrong?" Kei asked, as she removed her helmet as well, just as Illith stopped running, heaving for her breath.

"There- in the- and the- you have to-" she uttered, before she removed her own helmet as well, rubbing her temples to calm herself. "There's… a corpse floating… in the water…" she finally said, before collapsing, possibly due to shock. Quickly, Bane, Ryder and Kishikiyoi rushed to the railing to see what Illith had been talking about, whilst Kei and Netok rushed to Illith's aid.

Just as Illith had said, there was a man floating on the water, past the Marine ships, but there was something strange about the sight. The man didn't have any visible injuries on his body, but his eyes were rolled up in his skull, his mouth was wide open, and his veins were a dark, green color. "Hmph… the man was poisoned." Bane said, as he put a glove on his hand, before making his arm grow, letting him pick the corpse out of the water. "Gigaku's work, no doubt." he added, before dropping the corpse a distance away from them. "We'll have to burn the body, or the poison might spread out from it."

As this went on, far away from the Marine ships, a small dinghy was sailing on the seas, carrying a lone person who was reading a book, who just so happened to be Gigaku. "Hmm… so that's what he said about Devil Fruits… fascinating." he muttered, just as something jumped aboard the dinghy, though it only seemed to mildly annoy him. "Don't you pirates ever give up?" he sighed, as he put aside the book, looking at the man, who seemed both frightened and mad at the same time.

"Bastard… you killed my crew…" the pirate muttered, as he pulled out a cutlass. "But now… I'll kill you!" he suddenly yelled, as he rushed at Gigaku with murder gleaming in his eyes, when he suddenly stopped. As it turned out, Gigaku has stabbed his abdomen with a scalpel, forcing him to drop the cutlass.

"Vermin like you, kill me?" Gigaku said chillingly, as he grinned in the same maniacal way from before. "Surely you jest. Your primitive brain couldn't even hope to craft a strategy to kill me." he continued, as he inserted two of his fingers into the pirate's mouth. "So let me educate you a tad bit… do you know the properties of hydrogen?"

As he spoke, the pirate began to expand, as he started to panic, though Gigaku didn't seem to mind that. "Hydrogen is the lightest element of the periodic table, with only an atomic weight of 1.00794 u." he said, before pulling the fingers out of the pirate's mouth, just as the pirate began floating up in the air. "And another thing, before we part ways!" he called, as he pulled out a lighter, before lighting it up, pointing a finger at it. "It is very dangerous to ignite hydrogen." As he said this, a massive stream of fire shot out of the lighter flame, pointed straight at the pirate, and just as it collided with him, he exploded into a massive fireball, just as Gigaku started to cackle like a mad scientist.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Man They Call Dokusai part 2**

**No Room for Man, Only Woman – Seisabetsu Island**

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The morning sun shone over the Howling Moon, which had began sailing at the speed of a crawl, slowly approaching the now-fully visible island of Seisabetsu Island. The rays of the sun shone through the window leading into the infirmary, which a drowsy Ryozo entered, carrying two skeleton arms with him. "Zugai… you awake?" he yawned, rubbing his eyes with the front of his wrist.

Though his captain wasn't awake, the sound of Ryozo did manage to wake Zugai up, as he sat up from the bed, looking at Ryozo. "Hiya, doc! You got the arms all fixed up?" he asked, as Ryozo nodded.

"It took me the better half of the night, but I did seal up those cracks in your arms. They should be completely fine now." he said, as he approached Zugai, holding the arms up to him. "But, eh… how're we gonna get them back in?" he asked, as Zugai hummed in response.

"Y'know, the thought has struck me as well. But, I do think I have a solution." Zugai finally said, as he closed his eyes, when his right arm started pulsating violently. Then, to Ryozo's surprise, the sound of bones moving was heard, as the fingers of Zugai's right arm suddenly bent horribly out of shape, as he gritted his teeth in pain. "C'mon, give me my left arm, Ryozo." he muttered between his teeth.

"Uh, sure…" Ryozo replied, as he sorted out which arm was the left one, before handing it to Zugai, who clumsily managed to grab it with his right hand. "Captain, if I may ask… what the hell are you doing?" he asked, just as Zugai placed the skeletal arm within his left arm, before his right hand became limp again, the sound of bones moving aside once again being audible.

"Gnh… I hate doing that." Zugai muttered, as he rubbed his right arm with his left, skeletal hand, as his glove was lying on the same chair his jacket was hanging on. "It took me a while to figure it out, but I can move the bones in my body around if I focus enough on it, so I moved the bones located in my right leg up to my right arm. But the drawback of doing that is that it hurts like a bitch afterwards…"

Blinking, Ryozo handed the other arm to Zugai, letting him grab it and reinsert it into his right arm properly. "That Devil Fruit of yours just astounds me, you know that?" he finally said with a smirk, before placing two fingers against the bridge of his nose.

"I get that a bit." Zugai said, as he shook his right arm to regain feeling in it, before jumping out of bed. "So, know how long it is until we're at Seisabetsu, Ryozo?" he asked, as the doctor looked at him with a smile.

"If you'd take the time to look outside, captain, you'll find out." he said, as he walked outside, leaving Zugai in solitude. Confused, Zugai grabbed the grey, tattered jacket, putting it on him, before reaching for the black leather glove, strapping it to his skeletal left hand. Then, he left the infirmary, blocking the sun from blinding him with his left arm.

Sure enough, the ship had reached a speed so low that it couldn't be counted as moving, as it turned out that they had reached the end of the bridge, with only a large staircase leading down to the shore of Seisabetsu Island. However, before anyone onboard could even think of jumping on the bridge, a tube like the one back on Ketsuwoo shot out underneath the bridge, though before the hole for the ship opened, it was filled to the brink with water, so that the ship wouldn't plummet to the surface of the water when the hole opened, but rather be lowered safely to the surface by the water being ejected from the bottom of the hollow tube.

As the ship was lowered, the ship started to come alive, as the pirates slowly exited their bedrooms, though the boys seemed to exit their room quicker than the girls. "So, finally here, eh?" Nampu said, as he rubbed his right eye, looking at the surface of the island. "It seems kinda deserted…"

"It's probably because…" KC said, before yawning a bit. "…the townspeople are still fast asleep?"

"Whatever the case, we should anchor our ship a distance from the town, in case the inhabitants here don't take kindly to pirates." Jin shot in, as he began directing the water closely surrounding the Howling Moon to the shore, a distance from the town.

"So, who's gonna take care of shopping and stuff?" Shin asked, as she walked to the railing, looking at the island, when she suddenly closed her eyes, before pressing two fingers against her forehead, before suddenly stopping. "I could take care of it."

"But if we're gonna get provisions for the trip to the next island, we're gonna need a lot of it, right?" Chris shot in, before she grunted in pain, drawing the attention of the boys, when she suddenly blinked, seeming completely fine. "So I figure that I'll help Shin out!"

Just as she said that, Krystal groaned in pain as well, which again made the boys look over at her, and although she quickly snapped out of it, KC seemed quite worried. "Actually, I think I'll come with them as well." she said.

"Me too, me too!" Craigmirra suddenly said, hopping up and down in excitement.

"I… I think I'll come with them as well…" Maria said as well, something that prompted a dumbfounded look from the boys.

"Hey, if I may say something, I don't think that going on the island is too safe." Nampu said, as he crossed his arms. "If Omega's correct, we shouldn't leave the ship until the Log is readjusted, and if we have to buy provisions, all of us should go together."

"Plus, there's this Dokusai character he spoke of…" Jin said, though only his gaze was directed at the girls; the rest of him was busy directing the water around the ship to the shore. "I don't feel anything pleasant about it, almost as if I've heard it before. We should probably ask him more about it before doing anything irrational."

As he said this, however, Chris scoffed. "C'mon, it's just an island and a guy!" she said, crossing her own arms. "I think we can handle it, Jin. So if the captain wills it, we'll be back within an hour!" As Chris said that, everyone looked towards Zugai, who was looking down at the deck of the ship.

"…one hour, huh?" Zugai muttered with a nod, before looking back at Chris with a small grin. "Make sure to be back within an hour, and we'll make today's dinner. How's that sound?" he said more cheerfully, and even though the girls gave him a cheerful ovation, the guys only nodded in agreement and partial defeat, which Zugai quickly noted. "Oh, and if you take too long getting back, we'll come after you!" he quickly added, which seemed to make the boys less tense.

"Alright! Then it's settled!" Chris said, just as the ship stopped by the shore, just as the girls leapt off the ship. "We'll be back before then; you just trust us!" she said, and with that, the girls ran towards town rather quickly, leaving the boys to watch them leave.

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However, an hour passed by, and the girls didn't even show any sign of returning. Soon, another hour passed by, and yet another hour passed, with no sign from them at all. "Hrm… Zugai, I think maybe we ought to go look for them." Nampu said, as he and Jin had been pacing the deck in worry, whilst KC and Ryozo kept on looking after the girls, whilst Zugai was leaning against the railing of the ship, drumming his temples.

"Yeah… you're right." he sighed. "But we shouldn't leave the ship before we find Omega. Wherever did he go?" he muttered, just as he walked from the railing.

Ryozo blinked a bit upon hearing of Omega, before looking up towards the mast. "Maybe he… fell asleep in the crows nest?" he asked, earning him looks from KC and Jin.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ryozo!" KC said, as he looked up at the mast as well. "He's part machine, isn't he? So he doesn't need sleep, does he?"

"It couldn't hurt to at least take a look." Jin said with a shrug, as suddenly, he shot into the air, as two jets of water were shooting out from under his feet, taking him up to the crows nest, where sure as day, Omega was lying as if he was sleeping, the damage to his skin gone, and his hair having been restored from being burnt by KC. "Hey, guys!" he called, just as he landed in the crows nest. "He really is sleeping!"

However, he soon found himself corrected, as Omega's head suddenly jerked up, looking at Jin. "-know about something like that?" he said, before suddenly shaking his head, realizing just what had happened. "Oh no… my fears have been realized." he muttered, before suddenly grabbing Jin. "The women of this ship. Where are they now?" he said in a slightly worried tone, shaking Jin as he held him.

"They headed into town three hours ago, Omega!" Jin said, and just as he said that, the cyborg let go of him, before holding his head in disbelief. "H-hey, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Everything's wrong." Omega muttered, before suddenly grabbing Jin, just as he jumped out of the crows nest, landing on the deck with a thud, surprising Zugai, KC, Nampu and Ryozo. "You have no idea what you have allowed the women's fate to." he uttered, earning him more confused looks from the pirates.

"Wait, wait…" Zugai began, as he walked up to Omega, who had dropped Jin. "Could you please tell us what is going on?"

As Omega opened his mouth to reply, however, he heard something behind him, and immediately spun around to swipe his hand into seemingly thin air, when the air he punched actually exploded, startling Nampu and Jin some more. "Nov, nov, I vouldn't vant anyone to ruin de surprise." a female, Russian-accented voice said, and as the pirates and Omega looked towards the shore, they saw Veronica standing on it, as she held several small capsules in her hands.

Upon seeing her, KC stormed to the railing, glaring at her. "What surprise? What have ya done to our crewmates?! Where's Krystal and the others?!" he yelled surprisingly angrily, something that made Zugai, Nampu and Jin look at him in awe. "If you don't spit it out, then I swear I'm gonna-" he began, though as he had his mouth open, a green and blue capsule was suddenly flung into his mouth, making him bite down on it. Then, he suddenly collapsed on the deck, a green mist emitting from his mouth.

"Shush nov, darling." Veronica said, as she waggled her finger in front of her, before looking towards Zugai. "De Demon's Orthopedic, if I'm not mistaken. Lord Dokusai sends his salutations." she said, though it didn't seem to faze Zugai at all.

"Cut the crap." Zugai suddenly said, as he walked up to KC, helping him on his feet. "What are you talking about?" he continued calmly, though his face screamed bloody murder, which only made Veronica laugh.

"Darling, please, don't look so agitated!" she said, as she rolled a capsule pill between her right thumb and index finger. "All I'm saying is dat your female companions are in de custody of my almighty lord, Dokusai, and dey vill be taken care of by his army."

As Zugai heard this, he heard Omega growl, making him turn to face him. "Omega, what's wrong? Who is this chick, and-" he began, though Omega lifted a hand before he could continue.

"This is partially my fault." the cyborg began, as he walked past Zugai, looking at Veronica. "Dokusai has eaten a Devil Fruit, the Dorei Dorei no Mi. With it, he can effectively sway the minds of women under him, which is why I advised you to stay on the ship. However, he may have mentally persuaded your female crewmembers to enter the island, letting his forces kidnap them." As he said this, Veronica began laughing even harder, but the guys only looked at him in disbelief.

"So… you're saying that…" KC coughed, glancing weakly at Omega, just as he heard Jin snap his fingers. "What's… up, Jin?" he asked, as the mist emitting from his mouth started to thin out, letting him stand on his own without Zugai supporting him.

"Of course!" he said. "That's where I heard it before! Dokusai's the name of the guy Count Megtapos always wanted to top!" he added, before looking at Veronica. "If he's got that powerful an ability, I may understand just why Megtapos would want to try to surpass him." As he said this, Veronica only laughed even harder, when she suddenly started coughing from laughing too hard.

"Aah, pardon me…" she muttered, before regaining composure. "But in all seriousness, Dokusai is not de kind of man to kidnap someone. Like I told you, your comrades will be taken care of… but you vill not be able to see dem. I am Veronica Rasputin, Die Vier Veldheer. All men are prohibited on setting foot on dis island, so turn back now, or face my vrath!"

As the boys looked at her with some anger, only two of the boys actually remained calm; Omega and Ryozo, as the latter actually approached the railing. "We men can't set foot on it?" he said mockingly, as he put one foot on the railing of the ivory ship. "Watch me." he added, just as he leapt off the railing, landing on the shore, which seemingly agitated Veronica. "I'll fight ya, if that's what you want." After saying that, he looked back towards the ship. "Hey, Zugai! You don't mind taking the group to look for the girls, would you?"

As Ryozo said this, Zugai quickly shook his head. "I don't mind at all." he said, before turning to face the other boys. "Okay, guys! We're gonna get the girls back to the ship, and while we're at it, teach this Dokusai a thing or two about being a gentleman, the old-fashioned way!" he said, as he slammed his fists together to emphasize his point. "All in favor?" he added, as the boys all yelled "AYE!" in response (save for Omega, who merely nodded). "Great! Then let's move!"

Then, Zugai, Nampu, KC, Jin and Omega suddenly leapt off Howling Moon, running past Ryozo and Veronica, who seemed to get more annoyed as the pirates ran past her. "Hrm… dey vill be in for a surprise." she finally said, pulling out a vial containing blue liquid. "Dey vill still have to face the other three Veldheers, each of dem stronger dan me. But you, sadly, vill not live to see your crewmates crushed before even reaching Lord Dokusai."

As she said this, however, Ryozo merely chuckled. "Oh, I think you're sadly mistaken." he began, as he crouched down to grab some rocks lying on the shore, which began fusing together as a result of his power. "It's that Dokusai guy who's not gonna live past realizing just how much shit he got himself into when he messed with the Cross Skull Pirates… plus, you're gonna find out just why the Marines feared the infamous Bane of the Mountains, miss Rasputin." As he finished this sentence, the rocks he had grabbed had turned into a sword of rock, which he pointed at Veronica. "And that man is me, Ryozo Yamaguchi, formerly Suijin Tsurijioro."

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**A/N: **Okay, just a brief moment of update, since I seem to have forgotten to do it at the end of the last chapter; Veronica and Leona are made by **Kisdota-The Freak Gamer**, Haze is made by **LaZy-RaIn-DaNcEr**, and Aven's made by **Blu-Calling**. Must've forgotten to put that in due to the writer's block, methinks. XP Well, anyways I hope that you enjoyed, so just remember to read and review, and I'll see you later!

**YolkaEd**


	46. The Man They Call Dokusai part 3

_The moon shone down on the Howling Moon, as it was cruising towards Seisabetsu Island. It had been decided that Krystal was to keep watch during the night, though Omega had insisted on helping out as well, so that he could regenerate his cells under the moonlight. By the figurehead, Krystal was keeping a look-out, practicing her bow-arm by quickly drawing an arrow and strumming it against the string of her Artemis Bow. "I should be able to do it in under three seconds soon…" she muttered, as she placed the arrow into the quiver again, before preparing to draw it once more._

_However, as she pulled it half-way out, she was surprised when she felt someone grab her arm. "Seen anything yet, Krystal?" a voice she knew far too well said, and as she relaxed, she threw a glance back at the one who had grabbed her, namely KC._

"_Nothing yet, KC." she said with a smile, before she looked back towards the sea. "I wonder what it looks like, that Seisabetsu Island." she added, as she quickly drew the arrow again, strumming it against the bow._

"_No matter what it looks like, I'm sure you'll outshine it in any way." KC shot in, as he leant against the railing, looking at Krystal in the corner of his eye. When she looked in his direction, however, both of them quickly looked away from each other, blushing somewhat. "S-say, Krystal! I wanted to show you something!" he suddenly said, catching Krystal's attention._

"_What is it?" she asked, and just when she said that, KC gently took hold of her wrists, surprising her. "H-hey, what gives, KC?"_

"_Just relax, Krystal, and fire an arrow." KC replied, as he closed his eyes. Blinking, Krystal aimed a shot as best she could while KC was holding her, when she felt something cold surge through her. Shaking it off, she released her grip on the arrow, which flew up towards the moon, but as it turned out, it was encased in ice. "Neat, huh?" KC finally said, as he let go of Krystal's wrists._

_Krystal, being shocked at seeing the arrow being put on ice, was at a complete loss for words, as she took turns looking at the frozen arrow and KC, and as the arrow slowly started to descend, she finally mustered enough common sense to question what had happened. "KC… what did you do?"_

_KC hummed, as he looked up at the sky, tapping his fingers together. "I haven't told anyone else yet, but… you remember Card Shark?" he asked, as Krystal nodded slightly, remembering how he and Dojang had tried killing her back on Shigusa Island. "His powers involved making cards explode, but he told me during our fight that he trained in order to make other objects explode, like dice."_

"_So…" Krystal began, crossing her arms. "You've started to learn how to do it yourself?" As she said this, KC nodded._

"_I've been training during my night-watches on rocks and sticks, but I wanted to see if I could channel fire, ice and mist through other people… but I really haven't had an opportunity until tonight." he said, laughing softly as he rubbed the back of his head._

_Krystal couldn't help but join KC in laughing. "KC, that's so cool! You think you can do the same with light once you master the sword of light?" she asked, as KC nodded._

"_Of course! And when I do master it, you'll definitely be the first to know!" he said enthusiastically, before looking towards the horizon. "I can take over the night-watch for you, Krystal. You should try getting some sleep."_

_Krystal opened her mouth to say something, before stopping herself, nodding, and turning to leave, but for some reason, she didn't leave. Instead, she turned around again, and walked up next to KC, standing beside him as both of them watched the horizon. "We'll both stay watch tonight, okay?" she said with a smile, as the frozen arrow finally hit the surface of the water._

KC gritted his teeth as he remembered this moment, whilst he, Zugai, Nampu, Jin and Omega were rushing towards the town near the end of the bridge. "You guys think the girls are okay?" he said out loud, as Nampu and Jin looked towards him with a smile, whereas the others only kept on running, without even throwing a gaze behind them.

"Sure, they are!" Nampu said reassuringly. "They should be able to fend off that guy's mind control, or whatever. 'sides, I doubt he could get Craigmirra to sway from being so gawky over Zugai." he added with a minor chuckle, as KC nodded briefly in response.

"But man, I do hope Ryozo finishes up quick with that chick, or he's gonna miss out on the beat-down!" Jin shot in, as he and Nampu turned their heads forward again. "No matter how strong that Dokusai might be, he's not gonna get off easy, right, KC?"

Although KC nodded with a smile to Jin's words, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about this ordeal they were stuck in._ Krystal…_ he thought, as the quintet was getting closer to town. _Hang on… we're gonna save you!_

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Man They Call Dokusai part 3**

**Die Veldheer Inkwartieren – Dokusai's Elite!**

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Ryozo and Veronica still hadn't moved from where they stood, with the pirate pointing his sword of rock at her, who still was clutching the vial with blue liquid inside of it. However, before long, Veronica started to laugh again. "Shibun Turijioro? Don't dink you can fool me dat easily, comrade!" she cackled, just as she took a cork out from her lab-coat, which she used to seal the vial she held. "Any sailor vort deir hide knows dat de Bane of de Mountains passed avay during an encounter with de marines!"

Ryozo didn't seem to be phased by this, as he instead pushed his broken pair of sunglasses up his nose with his free hand, his smirk turning into more of a scowl. "Then explain to me how I could possibly have consumed the same Devil Fruit as him, without being him?" Then, without warning, he suddenly rushed towards Veronica, who seemed surprised that he was taking the offensive so early on.

Despite that, she merely smirked at his advance, and threw the vial high into the air, before taking something else out of her coat, which turned out to be a white and green capsule pill. "Prescription Goop." she calmly said, as she suddenly threw the pill at Ryozo, which popped open to release a sticky substance that covered Ryozo's feet, gluing him to the ground.

"Ah." he exclaimed calmly, wiggling to try to escape. "This is a minor inconvenience." he muttered, just as the vial Veronica had thrown began falling down again, just as she grabbed it with only a single movement of her arm.

"Now, to ansver your question…" she began, as she started to remove the cork in the vial. "I do not knov for sure, but according to deories, vhen a person vith a Devil Fruit dies, de fruit itself vill regrov, alloving a different person to consume it and attain its power." Then, as she pulled the cork out of the vial, she chuckled, as she brought the vial to her mouth. "Of course, dat is noding but deories, so only Doctor Vegapunk vould knov vhether you or I am correct." Then, without warning, she suddenly downed the contents of the vial, before throwing the vial away. "Heartburn!" Almost immediately afterwards, she blasted a stream of fire out from her mouth, aimed straight at the entrapped Ryozo.

However, her lengthy theory had allowed Ryozo to improvise escape; by raising the rock around his feet above the ground in a pillar, the flames did nothing to him, and as he looked down at Veronica, he smirked, as he raised his free hand upwards. "Think what you will, but I come bearing nothing but the truth. Ishi Ishi no Fist – Pillar Extension!" As he said this, he slammed his hand into part of the rock that wasn't covered in goop, just as a larger hand emerged from the bottom of the pillar, slamming right into Veronica, sending her flying a distance.

However, she quickly spun in mid-air, before landing gracefully on her feet, chuckling again. "Darling, darling, darling… I could care less vhether you're speaking de trud or not! Dis is a battle, not a science lesson!" Then, reaching into her coat, she pulled out three capsule pills, each of them red and yellow. "Triple Prescription Explosion!" she yelled, as she threw the pills at the pillar, the explosions they caused tearing a good chunk of the pillar apart, threatening to let it fall to the ground.

As the pillar fell forward, however, Ryozo found that he slipped out of the goop when it was in a perfect 45-degree angle, as most of it actually poured down from where it was stuck. Taking this opportunity, Ryozo flipped off the platform, grabbing a large piece of rock from the pillar, leaving him hanging in mid-air as the pillar slammed into the ground, only a few feet away from Veronica. "Ishi Ishi no Skull!" he suddenly yelled, as his head turned into stone. "And Meteor Storm!" Then, he slammed his head into the rock he was holding, shattering it into several pieces that flew down at Veronica.

However, she only chuckled once more, as she quickly pulled out a vial with yellow liquid in it, which she downed in a flash. "Congestion!" she yelled, just as she breathed out a thick, black smokescreen, which covered her from Ryozo's sight, which made it hard for the pirate to see if his attack had even worked on her.

"Damn… trying to hide in broad daylight…" he muttered, as he fell down to the ground, landing on the remains of the pillar, which had been covered in the smokescreen. However, the smoke didn't feel heavy at all to breathe, almost as if it was regular air. "What is she, a smoke mole?"

However, before he could continue, he suddenly heard something pop open in front of him, just in time to feel something change in the air around him. As it turned out, a green mist erupted in front of him, and as Ryozo unfortunately had no time to anticipate it, he inhaled some of it, which made him collapse to his knee. "Ah, you feel veaker, yes, darling?" he heard Veronica say, as the black smokescreen finally let up, letting Ryozo see his opponent clearly, not more than three feet away from him.

"Bastard…" he muttered, as he coughed. "That's the same… you used against KC, wasn't it?"

Laughing, Veronica nodded. "Yes, yes; my Prescription Paralysis. Anyone vho inhales dat mist vill be paralyzed for a set amount of time, depending on de person." Then, she crossed her arms, looking down at Ryozo with a serious expression. "Of course, your friend got a large dose of dat gas inside of him, so even dough he might look fine…" Chuckling, she placed a hand on her chin. "Let's just say dat it'll bite him in de rear vhen he meets de oder Veldheers. But nov, to find out hov to finish you off…"

However, all of a sudden, she clasped her head in pain, something that out Ryozo off. "H-hey, you feeling alright?" he said, as he felt the numbness slowly ebb away. "I can't fight you if you're feeling sick, already!"

Veronica didn't listen, however, as she groaned loudly due to her aching head. "Ah… my Lord, I- no, vait! If I do dat, den I vill-" Seeing her both groan in pain and talk like someone else really was there made Ryozo more and more uneasy than he should be. "But I… I used dat fighting de bounty hunter! I can't use it more dan-" Again, a jolt of pain went through her, though this time, it seemed to be the last one. "…very vell. I'll do it." she muttered, before she pulled something out from her purse, which she threw at Ryozo, which he grabbed.

As he inspected the objects she had hurled at him, Ryozo found it to be a capsule pill colored silver, though this one was also shiny, rather than the plainer visage of the other pills, along with a vial containing a golden liquid. "What's this for?" he asked, as he looked up at Veronica, who had pulled something out of her coat.

"Give dose to me if I collapse." she muttered, as she looked at whatever she was holding with some sense of fear. What she was holding turned out to be a pill similar to the one Ryozo held, only this was colored gold, along with a vial containing a silvery liquid. "Odervise, my life vill be on your conscience, comrade. Hearty Prescription!" Then, she suddenly threw the pill into her mouth, quickly followed by her downing the liquid in seconds, before she fell silent, looking into the ground, as Ryozo got back on his feet, the paralysis having ebbed away.

Then, Veronica suddenly roared, as her entire muscle mass expanded, and before Ryozo could even react, she slammed her hand into the ground, creating a massive tremor that shattered the already-broken stone pillar even more. Instinctively, Ryozo leapt away from her as she did so, clutching onto the vial and pill for dear life. "Fast-working steroids?!" he exclaimed, just as Veronica lunged at him again, but this time, he failed to evade it, letting her ram her fist into his gut, sending him slamming into the side of Howling Moon. "Tsch… be careful! Zugai'll kill us both if we ruin the ship!" Pocketing the vial and pill, Ryozo took hold of his sword again, before rushing at Veronica.

However, instead of slashing it at her, he scraped it along the ground, before bringing the blade up next to her, letting a massive wave of rocks rain upon her. "Ishi Ishi no Wave!" The rocks slammed into her at an amazing velocity, sending her tumbling a distance away from Ryozo, but she managed to land on her feet. Then, she suddenly dug her hands into the ground, before whipping them upwards, sending an even larger wave of rocks towards Ryozo. "Oh, bugg-" he began, before the wave slammed into him, sending him crashing towards the shoreline of the island, a cut having opened across his forehead, blood streaming down his face.

However, as Veronica prepared to rush at Ryozo again, she suddenly collapsed to her knees, coughing profusely, as her muscles only kept expanding. Nonetheless, she kept advancing towards Ryozo, as her coughs and hacks soon began spilling blood. "H-hey, what's wrong with you?!" Ryozo yelled, as Veronica suddenly fell completely face-down, but still, she kept crawling towards the pirate.

Gritting his teeth, Ryozo rushed at Veronica, before quickly flipping her on her back, as he noticed that a lot of her will to fight had ebbed away. "What kind of stuff did she use to create that kind of effect?" he muttered, as he quickly pulled the vial and pill out of his jacket, putting the pill inside of the vial, before pouring the liquid inside into Veronica's open mouth.

Soon after he did so, Veronica's body started to pulsate, as her muscular structure returned to normal, though she seemed weaker now than she did before. "Ungh… dank you…" she muttered, as she slowly got back on her feet, wiping the blood on her face away with a handkerchief.

"Just… just what the hell did you do to create such an effect on your body?" Ryozo asked dumbfounded, as he got on his own feet, looking at Veronica with a worried look on his face.

"My…" she began, before suddenly coughing a bit more. "…my Hearty Prescription increases my strengd hundredfold for five minutes, but… I can only use it once per day, or I risk my life." Then, walking a short distance away from Ryozo, she suddenly turned to face him. "I had used it earlier to fight some bounty hunters that vanted to disturb Lord Dokusai, and vhen I used it again, tventy-four hours had not yet passed."

Ryozo blinked in disbelief. "You… you were willing to destroy your own body… just to kill me?" he uttered, before gritting his teeth in disgust. "That's not right! Why would you even consider doing something like that?!" he yelled, though it didn't seem to phase Veronica at all.

"I had to…" she uttered, stumbling a bit, as she reached for something within her coat. "For de sake of… Lord Dokusai…" Then, she pulled her hand out of her pocket, revealing a capsule pill colored purple and black. "And I vill do dis for his sake, as vell…" As Ryozo got a good look at the pill, she began laughing, though it was weaker now than before. "Vhile I dank you for stopping my body from being destroyed, I vill still not let you approach my Lord… so I vill cover this entire shore with a gas… dat vill kill us both… my Prescription… Dead."

As she said this, Ryozo got a shocked look on his face, as Veronica continued to laugh, though as she did, she could not help but cough up more blood. Despite that, she kept on smiling, as if she had gone completely insane. "Nov, let de dance of dead… begi-" she began, when suddenly, she felt something hit her gut. Looking down, she saw that Ryozo had slammed both a rock-hardened fist and the handle of his sword into her gut. "N… no…"

Then, she finally collapsed to the ground, dropping the pill as it bounced harmlessly on the ground for a while. Looking down at her, Ryozo couldn't help but sigh. "Poor girl… whatever that Dokusai did to her must be pretty damn effective." Then, he got quite the angry look on his face, as he turned to face the town and castle further in on the mainland. "That damned son of a bitch! I'll make sure that he won't do that to anyone else ever again!" Then, he rushed towards the town as well, though he was unaware of two things; Veronica weakly pressing a button on a small console before losing consciousness, and a small figure secretly leaving the Howling Moon…

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As that went on, Zugai's group had finally reached the town, and now they were standing in the center of the town, with four possible pathways to take, two of them leading into different parts of town, one of them leading back to the shore, and the last of them leading to the castle. "Okay, the case should be obvious!" KC said boldly, as he pointed towards the castle. "If he's keeping the girls anywhere, it's bound to be in there!"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves…" Jin muttered, as he glanced to his left and right. "I'll bet that there's more of those Veldheers, like Miss Rasputin. They may have hidden the girls all over town… but it's gonna be a lot of ground to cover."

"Then I believe the choice is obvious." Omega began, crossing his arms. "We need to split up. Hibiware, as captain, it is your duty to divide us equally." As he said this, Zugai looked at the cyborg with a puzzled gaze, before suddenly nodding.

"Right, if it's coming down to that…" he began, as he looked towards the castle. "I'll take a look around the castle, to see if we can get in without setting any traps. Meanwhile, you four can search the town to see if the girls are being hidden here. Nampu and Jin can go together, and KC and Omega can form another team. Good luck, guys; I'm counting on ya!" Then, he rushed towards the castle, leaving the others behind.

"Right…" Nampu uttered, as he suddenly pointed to the right. "Jin, how about picking that path? It's better to get this over with as soon as possible, so we can help Zugai at the castle." he said, as Jin nodded quickly.

"Alright, but we all have to remember; those Veldheers may be tougher than what we've faced from before." Jin said, remembering just how the Elite Four had worked when he was still working for Count Megtapos. "So don't assume that it'll be a cakewalk."

"We'll be careful, Jin." KC said, as he suddenly rushed down the opposite path that Nampu had pointed out, having drawn Zanmato already. "Come on, Omega! We've gotta save Krystal and the others!" As he said this, Omega merely nodded, before following KC, both of them vanishing behind a corner before Nampu and Jin could make sense of things.

"Right… so, Jin, ready to give this town a check-up?" Nampu said, as he butted his fists together, just as Jin gave a small nod.

"I'm all ready." he responded, before he put his hand to his chin in thought. "In fact, I've been thinking on how to do it a bit… maybe I could flood the town?" he said with a naïve smile on his face, as Nampu shook his head in refusal.

"That would be potentially disastrous, considering that some of our crewmates can't swim." he said, as he prepared to walk towards the path. "We'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way, right, Jin?" he added, but before he could get a reply, Jin suddenly pushed him away from the path. "Hey, what giv-"

Suddenly, something erupted from a nearby building, colliding with Jin as both of them tumbled into the pathway, disappearing behind a corner, which naturally shocked Nampu beyond belief. "What the hell was that?!" he exclaimed, as he heard someone approach from the building as well. "Who's there?"

"That was Leona's persona." a female voice said, as someone stepped partially into the sunlight, and as it turned out, it was Leona, standing only slightly taller than Bane would have been. "And Leona is me. Leona is Die Drie Veldheer. Your friends will soon meet Die Twee Veldheer, and Die Enig Veldheer, both stronger than Leona. But Leona won't let you get to Lord Dokusai." she said coldly, sending chills down Nampu's spine. "So would you give up now, or wait until Leona's persona kills you?"

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Thundering down the path, KC was just about unstoppable in his pursuit, as Omega barely could keep up. "Come on, Omega! We're wasting valuable time here!" he yelled, as Omega merely sighed.

"If you use up all your stamina, how do you expect to be able to save your crewmates if you're too tired to even lift your sword?" Omega said, but before he could get a reply, KC suddenly fell to the ground, as if someone had socked him in the face. "Hn?"

As KC quickly got up, something invisible slammed into the back of his head, at least from Omega's point of view. To KC, however, what had made him collapse seemed like a wall, and what slammed into his head seemed like a club. "Guh… who's there?! Come out and fight!" he called, but hearing something above him, he was shocked to see a fireball come down from nowhere, though he managed to jump away from it before it exploded in front of him. "Wha-what's going on?"

As Omega opened his mouth to speak, however, something yellow exploded in his face, and though he was sent flying, it wasn't enough to keep the cyborg down, as he saw just what had hit him. "Look up there!" he called, as he got up on his feet, looking towards the roof.

As KC looked up as well, he saw two girls standing on the roof, one of them being Haze, and the other being Aven, who seemed flustered that she had been discovered. "H-Haze, they're looking at us!" she said in a worried tone. "What'll we do?"

Before Haze could reply to that, Omega had taken the opportunity to grab the still-clueless KC. "They are probably more of Dokusai's forces. You take on the redhead, Magic Swordsman, and I'll deal with the brunette." As he said this, he suddenly threw KC up on the roof Haze was standing on, prompting a sneer from her, as she nodded at Aven, who suddenly leapt down to ground level. However, even though the fall should have cost her usage of her legs, her fall actually slowed down enough for her to descend quite calmly to the ground. "State your name." Omega said, as she looked at the cyborg with some shyness.

"Um… I'm Aven Moken." she said briefly, before clearing her throat. "That's who I am. I am Die Twee Veldheer, and in the name of Lord Dokusai, you won't ever reach him!"

As she said this, Haze looked over at KC, who was holding Zanmato at the ready. "Ooh, you look like quite the one, don't you?" she said, as she drew her own sword, which shone brightly in the sun, as did KC's. "The name's Haze, and I am Die Enig Veldheer, the strongest of Lord Dokusai's elite! Against me, you don't stand a chance!"

Hearing this didn't seem to threaten KC, however, as he placed Zanmato in his mouth, before drawing his two falcatas. "My name's KC Boom, and I'm known as The Magic Swordsman, the man who's gonna master the Sword of Light. And I'll have you know that your Lord is gonna regret ever trying to mess with our crewmates!"

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**A/N: **Not really a whole lot to say, besides apologizing for the delay. Oh, and just so you know, the titles of the four fighters are Dutch for 'general', along with the numbers counting up to four. And their collective title means "The General Quarter", just so you know. Hope you enjoyed this, and just remember to read and review, and I'll be seeing you!

**YolkaEd**


	47. The Man They Call Dokusai part 4

"Huh… it seemed smaller back in town." At the moment, Zugai had managed to get to the castle, only to find himself looking up at the structure of the building. The castle, while being rather bland-looking, was extraordinarily large, ranging at least two stories higher than Count Megtapos' fortress did. "But I do wonder why there's only six windows…" he muttered to himself, holding his chin with his gloved hand.

"Well, anyway, I have to find a way without getting all of us caught." he finally said, as he got closer to the castle wall, staying a distance away from the front gate. Surprisingly, there was no moat surrounding the castle, as was usually the standard, but Zugai decided not to delve on it too long. "Just breaking in the wall isn't gonna do…"

As he took a moment to look up at the colossal building, he heard something from around the corner, something akin to knocking. Curious, he slowly approached the corner, cautiously peeking around the corner, only to see someone knock at the wall with a small hint of annoyance. The person in question had blonde, spiky hair, akin to Nampu, but for some reason, he had a black goatee sprouting from his chin. He wore a purple suit with a green tie, and a blue rose was tucked inside the pocket of the suit's jacket. Also, he was wearing sunglasses with green lenses.

However, after thirty seconds of observing the man, Zugai was shocked to see that the man quickly noticed his presence. "Hey, whoever's hiding there! Come out with your hands visible!" he shouted, quickly getting in a defensive stance.

Sighing, Zugai emerged from behind the corner, keeping his hands out of his pockets, but refraining from raising them. "Sorry for startling you." he said bluntly. "I was trying to find a way into the castle without being spotted, when I heard you knocking at the wall."

The man eyed Zugai curiously, before slowly loosening up, getting in a more casual stance. "My apologies, as well." he said with a brief nod. "I was also trying to find a way inside, so we seem to share a common goal." Then, he looked up towards the top of the castle, a frown visible on his face. "Dokusai, isn't it?" he said with a sigh.

"Actually, yeah." Zugai said, as he looked up at the castle as well. "He got some of my crewmembers, and we figured that the castle would probably be the most likely place for them to be kept…" As he said this, an explosion suddenly rang through the nearby town, which startled the stranger, yet Zugai remained adamant. "…but on the off-chance that they're being kept in town, we decided to split up, letting my male crewmates search the town, and me find a safe way into the castle."

The man blinked, before composing himself. "Y-yes, I see…" he began, before crossing his arms. "My betrothed was taken by Dokusai six months ago, and I've tried getting back at him since. With rumors that he's returned to his castle, I figured that this would be the most opportune moment." Then, he began chuckling. "Oh, would you listen to me ramble on… I haven't even introduced myself to you. The name is Shieki."

Zugai nodded, as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Nice meeting you. My name's Zugai Hibiware, just so you know." As he said this, however, Shieki started laughing harder. "What? Did I say something funny?"

"No, it's just…" Shieki began. "For a wanted criminal to introduce himself so formally… it's practically been unheard of since the days of the Second Pirate King."

Thinking that over, Zugai couldn't help but laugh as well. "Well, when you put it like that, it is kind of humorous… but tell me, just why are you knocking on the wall like that?" he asked, snapping out of those mildly humorous thoughts.

"Ah, you see…" Shieki began, as he started knocking on the wall again, although in a different place from before. "I've gotten in this castle before. There is a secret entrance somewhere along the base of the castle, and if you knock in an exact spot, you open it. Why anyone would install something like that, however, is beyond me…"

After he said that, Zugai looked at the wall with some interest. "A secret entrance, you say…" he muttered, before he began knocking on the wall as well. "I might as well help you out; when my crew's done in town, we'll get in through it, and get the girls out of Dokusai's control."

Shieki looked at Zugai with surprise on his face, before he smiled. "I appreciate the friendly gesture, Hibiware. Besides, I was starting to get tired doing it by myself…" With that, the two continued knocking on the wall, trying to locate the mechanism to unlock the secret entrance…

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Man They Call Dokusai part 4**

**Intense Rumble in Town!**

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Jin heaved for his breath, as he pressed himself against a wall in an alley, sweat running down his skin. _God, that thing is ruthless! _he thought to himself, as he carefully peeked behind a corner, scanning the area for the creature that had threatened to attack Nampu. _But what I want to know is just what 'that thing' is supposed to be… it reminds me of a voodoo doll, more than anything…_

As he was having this inner monologue, however, he failed to see a shadow looming ominously over him, raising its right, demonic-looking hand for a strike. Only a low snarl alerted Jin to its presence, but by that time, he had been struck by the doll, sending him propelling through a different wall further away from the alley. Wasting no time, the figure rushed at the pirate, ready to attack him again.

Before it could step out of the shadow, however, a torrent of water blasted out of the hole, striking the creature head-on. As it was shot into a wall on the other end of the alley, Jin emerged from the hole, holding his head with a frown on his face. "Hrm… lucky shot." he muttered, as the cut on his forehead slowly started to spill water rather than blood.

Before long, the creature leapt out of the hole, fully exposing its features to Jin; its black dress, the white, feathery wings wings, the difference in both its eyes and arms, and strangely, an aura of malice emerging from it. Roaring, it began rushing at Jin, who immediately began rushing at it as well. "Corpo Colapso: Calcanhar Bazooka!" he yelled, as he suddenly spun around when the doll-like creature got closer to him, and without a second wasted, he delivered a devastating kick behind him that sent the doll flying into the same hole again.

However, before Jin could react, the creature almost literally blew the wall to pieces, rushing at him with what seemed to be the speed of a Soru-user, delivering a left hook at the pirate. Luckily, Jin ducked under it just in time to dodge it, though that led to the hand smashing into the wall of the alley they stood in, creating a massive hole in it. "Gah! Just what the hell IS this thing?!" Jin exclaimed, before suddenly avoiding a swipe from the clawed, demonic-looking hand, ending up behind the doll. "Now!" Without a second thought, he promptly delivered a water-kick to the creature's back, sending it airborne.

As it began descending, however, Jin had blasted his way up to the beast by shooting water out from underneath his legs, seemingly preparing to strike the creature as it was airborne. However, just as he got closer to it, the doll spun around, delivering a kick that he was forced to block with his left leg. "Hrm… Mizu Mizu no Fountain!" Quickly pointing his head at the creature, a water stream shot out of the top of his head, sending it flying upwards and him descending to the ground.

As he landed, however, he saw that the doll was now looking right down at him, and as it began falling down to the ground, it roared, the wind caught underneath its feathery wings giving it more velocity in its descent. As Jin noticed this, however, he failed to avoid the beast tackling him, grabbing him and flying through several buildings, dealing heavy damage to the pirate. However, Jin quickly countered this by shooting a water jet out of his head once more, but now, he pointed it away from the creature, stopping it from tackling him through buildings, and even managing to reverse the roles, with the doll now being on the receiving end of the brutal damage.

Suddenly, however, the doll released Jin, and got out of his path, letting him skid to a halt in the same alley they had started in, once more heaving for his breath. "Okay, I'll give…" he muttered, as he looked at the doll, which seemed to have gotten as exhausted as Jin had, if not more. "…you know your moves." he continued with a smirk, his fists covered in water. "So, care to continue?"

As he said this, however, the doll suddenly changed its appearance; the long, black hair suddenly changed into a short, spiky variant, and its clothes changed into a sleeveless, red T-shirt and blue shorts, along with a pair of boots. Other than that, however, its eyes were still a red button and a cross, and its arms looked the same way as they did before. Jin could only gape at the sudden change the doll had undergone. "Wait… how did it suddenly cosplay Nampu?"

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"H-hey, what do you think you're pulling?! Hey, don't- look, stop that, you're gonna- Wait, what are you doing?!" From this dialogue, you'd expect that Nampu had gotten himself into quite the battle, but in reality, for some reason, Leona had simply managed to chain her right arm to Nampu's left one with a pair of handcuffs.

"For being a wanted pirate, you do seem awfully neurotic." she said, as she put the key to the handcuffs in a pocket in her dress. "Then again, Leona wouldn't expect too much from a mere seventeen million." she added, which got Nampu's teeth gnashing in comical anger.

"You listen here, you little… you!" Nampu began, stomping his foot in the ground repeatedly to get Leona's attention, though it didn't work out. "If you don't tell me where you've hidden our crewmates, then I swear that I'm gonna show you what my mere seventeen million can do!"

As he kept on rambling, Leona looked up to the sky, shielding her eyes from the sun. "Hmm… Leona doesn't like bright light…" she muttered, scooting a little further into the hole in the building, but Nampu quickly noticed that.

"Hey, where do ya think you're going?!" he suddenly yelled, as he forcibly started walking away from the hole, leaving Leona no choice but to be dragged into the sunlight, making the paler girl wince. "You're not going anywhere until you've told me what I want to know! Now what was that thing that smashed Jin into town?"

Leona growled, as she attempted to hide from the sun underneath Nampu's shadow. "Leona ate the Ikko Ikko no Mi." she muttered. "With that, Leona can project a different image of herself to fight against her enemies; Leona's persona." As she spoke, Nampu could hear Jin's battle escalating back in the street he had been thrown into. "However, if Leona grabs someone else, Leona can make her persona look more like the person Leona is grabbing."

Nampu blinked upon hearing that. "So… all it does, besides letting you have a doll fight for you, is to let you dress that doll up as anyone you touch?" he asked, as Leona merely nodded, hiding under his shadow.

"Not that it matters, though." she said with a dull expression on her face. "Miss Aven and Miss Haze are most likely fighting those other guys who wanted to stop Lord Dokusai. But, while Leona's persona is busy dealing with your other crewmate…" As she said this, she pulled what seemed to be a quill pen from her dress, though the tip was colored a dark red. "…Leona can finish you." she said, as Nampu got a worried look on his face.

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"KYAAAAAAAHH!!!" Another explosion rang through the west side of the town, as Aven threw herself away from it, pressing herself against a nearby wall. "That… that guy's not normal!" she heaved, trying to calm herself down. "How can he shoot grenades from his hands, anyway?" she muttered, as a fan suddenly appeared in mid-air by her face, which began fanning her.

However, before she could fully calm herself, she heard some whirring-sound, and instinctively leapt away from the wall, just as a hail of bullets quite literally tore it to shreds. Then, emerging from the remains of that wall was Omega, brandishing a pair of triple-barreled gatling-guns in place of his regular hands. "And what happened to stopping me from reaching Dokusai?" he said bluntly. "With all that running away, one wouldn't presume you to be of guardian caliber."

Suddenly, an anvil flying horizontally crashed into the cyborg, sending him flying through the hole in the wall, just as Aven got to her feet. "Hey, you're not exactly what I'm used to dealing with!" she exclaimed, before stepping a bit away from the hole. "Grenade launchers and gatling-guns… I'm starting to think that you're not some run-of-the-mill pirate."

However, just as she finished that sentence, something red flashed by her, just as the house behind her exploded, just as Omega re-emerged from the hole, his left hand now looking like a cannon. "First off, I am no pirate." he said, as he aimed his right hand at Aven, it still being a gatling gun. "And you are no run-of-the-mill servant… in fact, you're wanted by the World Government, are you not?"

As he said that, all of a sudden, what seemed to be two large rocks threatened to crush him between themselves, though he was quick enough to back away from the rocks before they collided with each other. "How did you know about that?" she said through closed teeth, now having gone from flustered to straight-out shocked and mad.

"Well, apart from remembering your face from the wanted posters, I scanned your data and compared it with what I already know." Omega replied, as the gatling-gun hand began spinning. "I used to be a Marine, but I am my own person now. At the moment, I am merely aiding the Cross Skull Pirates in recovering their crewmates, so… farewell." Just then, an immense hail of bullets shot out of the gun, but Aven managed to block the bullets with a barrier that appeared out of thin air. "Aven Moken, the Demonic Illusionist."

Aven gritted her teeth, as suddenly, a stream of fire shot out of her hand, aimed at Omega, in an attempt to get him to stop shooting. However, even though it stopped the gunfire, it didn't stop Omega, who merely shrugged the flame off. "It can't be…" Aven muttered, as she suddenly raised her hand to the sky, letting a crackle of lightning emerge from it, hitting Omega dead-on. However, it had absolutely no effect on the cyborg. "Just what are you?!" she yelled, as a tower of flame suddenly erupted underneath Omega, before she quickly made a run for it, headed towards the center of town.

However, a green laser suddenly struck her, rendering her completely immobile, as Omega emerged from the flamed, still lacking any kind of injury from Aven's barrage of elemental attacks. "I am a cybernetic organism, which you would generally label as a 'cyborg'." he said, as he slowly made his way towards Aven. "And your powers are derived from the Modai Modai no Mi, a fruit which lets you create illusions of any kind of image. However, though you might make some illusions tangible, as is the case of the anvil, at least…" Soon, he was standing right next to the paralyzed Aven, who slowly seemed to be getting out of it. "…illusions are still illusions. Your powers cannot defeat me."

"Then try this! Hana-Nami!" Suddenly, a blue mist surrounded Omega, which slowly took the form of hundreds of flowers. Almost immediately after Aven could move again, those flowers suddenly covered the cyborg, preventing him from following her as she ran away. "Just get to Leona, Aven! I can handle these chums!" Haze exclaimed, as it was revealed that she had shot that blue mist at Omega, but as a result, her left hand seemed to be paralyzed; the only part of her body not covered in some sort of blue aura.

"Stay in focus!" KC yelled, as he suddenly brought both his falcatas down on Haze, who quickly blocked it with her own sword, keeping them at a stand-still. "Omega, you have to follow her, but don't kill her! We need them alive so they can tell us where Krystal and the other girls are being kept!" he said, as he pushed away from Haze, both his blades glowing red, contrasting Haze's blue aura.

As KC said that, the flowers were suddenly cut through by a buzz-saw, as Omega exited them. "Understood… but I'll have to take her out quickly. If Namura or Kiyasui are assaulted by her powers, they may not have the strength to realize that it's only illusions." With that, he ran after Aven, who had a pretty good head-start at this point.

"Like I'm letting you take her, 'borg! Kiiro-Bakuha!" Haze shouted, as she used her limp, left hand to send a volley of yellow balls of energy flying towards the cyborg, but none of them reached their target. "Tsch… guess it's just you and me now, hm, Swordsman?" she said halfway surly and halfway cocky, as she pointed her blade at KC, who was still keeping his falcatas glowing red.

"And soon, it's only gonna be me." KC replied, as he crossed his falcatas, just as Zanmato's blade glowed red as well, just as all three blades were set ablaze. "I know Dokusai's probably controlling you, but…" As he said that, he couldn't help but cough, though he shrugged it off. "…but I'm not letting you stand in my way! Yakigiri!"

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Jin suddenly crashed into a wall, courtesy of the doll-creature, which had by this point changed back into its original costume. "Gnh… damn doll!" he yelled, as he pushed himself away from the wall, before managing to grab the creature's legs, spinning it around whilst making sure to let it hit every part of the buildings he could reach. "Corpo Colapso: Destruido Em Torno De A Relógio!" he shouted, just as he threw the creature into a wall, before he suddenly formed a sphere of water in his hand. "Mizu Mizu no Bullet!" Just as the doll got out of the hole, he threw the sphere at it, sending it crashing through the entire house Jin had thrown it into.

"I'm not done yet!" he said, just as jets of water emerged from underneath his feet, before he pursued the creature through the house. Once both of them got outside, the doll, which was still in mid-air, couldn't help but allow Jin to grab the back of its head, before he started grinding its face along the pavement, his water jets still in full effect. "How do you like that?"

However, the doll suddenly clasped its demonic hand around Jin's neck, suffocating him as it slowly crushed the neck. However, the lack of oxygen caused Jin to lose focus, making both of them crash regularly into walls, but the creature simply wouldn't let go of Jin.

"Kkh… would… you… let… go?!" Jin suddenly shouted, as he quickly shot upwards high into the sky with his water jets, but this had no visible effect on the doll. "Corpo Colapso…" he uttered, as the water jets suddenly stopped, just as he let go of the back of the creature's head, only to grab it by its stomach. "Pilhadriver Chefe Bolacha!" Then, suddenly flipping himself so that their heads pointed towards the ground, he activated his water jets, sending them both flying straight down to ground level, where the massive velocity slammed the doll's head into the pavement, creating a large crater from the impact. Needless to say, it was enough to make it let go of Jin's neck.

"Aah! Leona's persona!" Jin heard someone say, as he spun around to see Nampu and Leona chained together. "Why did you do that to Leona's persona? She only did the right thing; trying to stop you from getting to Lord Dokusai…" she added, looking at the fallen doll-creature with sorrowful eyes.

"Look, enough with this 'Lord'-bull!" Nampu exclaimed, tugging his arm (and in turn, hers as well) to get her attention. "All we want to know is where you've hidden our crewmates!"

Leona growled, as she suddenly raised the quill pen above her head, aiming it at Nampu's knee, which again made the pirate nervous. "No! Leona won't let you get away that easily; not after what you did to Leona's-" Before she could continue, a sizeable rock suddenly connected with her head, knocking her out cold.

"Whuh?" Nampu looked at the now-unconscious Leona, before turning his head to see Ryozo strolling up towards him and Jin. "Sorry for the delay, guys; that girl was tougher to beat than I thought." he said, as he noticed Leona hanging from Nampu's wrist, and Nampu looking somewhat agitated. "Uh… did I come at a bad moment?"

"Ryozo, didn't you see that she's got me locked up?!" Nampu shouted in exasperation, before groaning. "Urgh, never mind… though, if you could get the key she has in her dress, I'd be most thankful; it'll free me from these handcuffs."

Ryozo nodded, as he approached Leona to search her dress, when suddenly, her dress caught fire, for some reason. "H-hey, is it supposed to do that?" he said, as he pointed at the flames, which Nampu quickly noticed as well.

"Woah! Jin, put it out, put it out!" he said in panic, just before both he, Ryozo and Leona got a sizeable wave of water flushed over them, something that failed to wake up Leona, bothered Ryozo and annoyed Nampu. "You couldn't just have taken the flame out?" he sighed.

"Well, you seemed to be in a hurry, so…" Jin began, when he suddenly noticed something; the flames on Leona's dress weren't quenched; in fact, they had only grown in size, and had changed color to purple. "Oh my… That's no normal flame!"

"No shit, genius!" Nampu yelled in shock, as he desperately tried pushing his hand out of the handcuffs, to no avail. "You guys, help me! We got to get away from those flames before we're burnt well done!" Quickly, Ryozo and Jin moved to try to get Nampu away from Leona, all of them unaware of a figure in the shadows focusing intensely on the area they stood in, as well as the doll-creature weakly pressing a button on a console located on its own person, before it feinted being knocked out…

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**A/N: **Hate to end it on a cliffhanger, but hey, I figured you guys would like an update.

Speaking of, I'm planning on doing something grand for Piracy, but I'm gonna need your help! How do you do this, you ask? It's quite simple, really; all you have to do is to make up any kind of story arc that could be used for Piracy. It can be as outlandish as you possibly want it, and you can even decide if the villain(s) and supporting cast in focus there can be canon or fan-made (by either you or me). The one restriction I'm putting on is not to make a lone member of the Cross Skull Pirates central to the plot, unless you're the creator of said character. With this in mind, hope you send me ideas, and remember to read and review!

**YolkaEd**


	48. The Man They Call Dokusai part 5

"So, what's she like?" Zugai asked, as he looked at Shieki curiously. When all Shieki responded with was a confused look, Zugai scratched his head. "You know, your betrothed? What kind of woman is she?"

Shieki chuckled, as he placed a hand on the castle wall, looking up at the sky. "Oh, she is beyond mere words." he said with a smile on his face. "Her eyes are more beautiful than the most expensive diamonds imaginable, and her hair shines with the brilliance of golden coins left in the morning sun. But, I could go on about her without getting us anywhere; that secret entrance isn't going to find itself, is it?" Then, he knocked on the brick his hand has covered the most, but when he got no result from it, he snapped his fingers, as he knocked on another one.

Before Zugai started knocking on another brick, he noticed something odd about Shieki. "Um, I just have to ask… what's with the goatee? It's black, and your hair's blonde, so…?" he said, as Shieki once again chuckled.

"Well, my regular hair color is black, you see, but I hate blending into the crowd like that." he said, as he took to stroking his goatee. "So, I have my hair dyed, yet I keep my facial hair in its natural color. Call it strange, but I prefer it like that."

Zugai nodded, as he got ready to knock on another brick, but before he got to do it, they heard some noise coming from within Shieki's suit. "What's that?" he asked, as Shieki rolled the sleeve of his left arm up, which revealed a shell strapped to his arm, like a Black Den Den Mushi. However, as the shell opened, it revealed a red Den Den Mushi instead.

"Ah, this is my alarm clock." Shieki said, as he closed the shell, which caused the snail to stop making noise. "I tend to forget that I even have it on my person, and so it can ring at complete random. Quite strange, wouldn't you say, Hibiware?"

Zugai nodded, as he started knocking on the wall again. "Not so much strange as a habit. And to be honest, I've heard of stranger habits." he said, as Shieki joined him in knocking on the wall, though Zugai didn't notice the look Shieki gave him.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Man They Call Dokusai part 5**

**Cleaning the Town Up**

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The town square was now in complete chaos, even though the only ones conscious there were Nampu, Ryozo and Jin. However, to them, it would seem like the purple flames on Leona's body had now spread all over the area, trapping them in there. "How the hell did this happen?!" Nampu yelled in terror, as he still desperately tried to squeeze his hand out of the cuffs, to no avail.

"You're telling me; I just got here!" Ryozo shot in, as he and Jin were trying to douse the flames in the area; Jin by using water, and Ryozo by burying them underneath rocks. However, the flames went completely unaffected by this, as one purple flame still kept burning whilst inside a sphere of water created by Jin.

"C'mon, c'mon…" Jin muttered, as he shot jets of water at the flames, but nothing could douse them. "Son of a- are these a product of some Devil Fruit?" As soon as he made that prediction, all of a sudden, the flames he had attempted to douse lunged at him, knocking him to the ground as they crept onto his body.

"Jin!" Ryozo yelled, as he rushed towards his crewmate, when a huge circle of purple flames suddenly surrounded him. "Tsch- like this'll stop me! Ishi Ishi no Outoftheway!" he shouted, just as grabbed part of the concrete below him, effortlessly ripping it out of the ground, before charging right through the flames, the concrete seemingly blocking them from reaching him. However, the moment he stepped out of the circle, the flames suddenly crashed into him, sending him into the ground.

"G-guys!" At this point, Nampu was horrified. "Both Ryozo and Jin… how am I supposed to overcome this?!" he shouted, still trying to get his hand out of the cuffs, when the flames on Leona began spreading up his arm, prompting him to start yelling in pain… until he felt that he didn't feel anything on his arm. "Eh…?"

Looking at his cuffed hand, he cautiously waved the flames on it with his free one, and to his surprise, he felt nothing, as if the flames weren't there. Then, he looked at Leona's body, which was now covered in purple flames, but she remained completely motionless. "For being burned alive, she's taking it quite well…" Nampu began, as he cautiously moved his free hand towards the pocket Leona put the key in. Then, he dug into the pocket with the hand, before retracting it, revealing two keys in his hand. "Wait, two? What's the other one for?"

Shrugging, Nampu picked out the key he recognized that fit the lock, and quickly unlocked the cuffs, letting Leona fall to the ground, the flames on her dispersing. "Guys! Get up, guys; the flames can't be doused because there are no flames!" he said, but as he pocketed the second key and approached his crewmates, he felt something strike him from behind, which sent him crashing into the ground. "Wha-"

"Be quiet; it'll be quicker that way." he heard someone say, as something picked him up, before throwing him into the air, letting him land on the ground with a thump. "You thought that you could escape just because you figured it out?" the voice said, as he was thrown into the air once more, crashing into the concrete. "No one can escape my powers, and no one shall disturb Lord Dokusai." Then, Nampu felt himself being picked up again, though he wasn't thrown this time. "Now I will break you!"

However, before any breaking could happen, the sound of a beam being fired, and a female voice yelling in pain broke Nampu out of his daze, just as he landed on the ground again. "Gnh… what happened?" he muttered, as he got on his feet, rubbing his back in pain. Then, he got a clearer view of what happened; the purple flames were disappearing, Ryozo and Jin were getting on their feet as well, and he could see a girl lying motionless on the ground in front of the path to the west side of town, with Omega standing over her.

"She will be out for a while." Omega began, as he stepped past the girl, before approaching Nampu, Ryozo and Jin. "I see that you're all unscathed."

"Unsca-" Nampu began, before composing himself. "Could you just tell me what the hell is happening here?" he said, looking up at the cyborg.

"The visages you saw, the flames… they were illusions." Omega began, as he approached the girl on the ground, who turned out to be Aven. "This girl controlled them, in hopes of knocking you down. As a cybernetic organism, detecting these kinds of illusions is a simple task, but for humans such as you, it's not as easy. You were lucky she didn't decide to stab you when you were distracted."

As he said this, Jin and Ryozo walked next to Omega, looking down at the fallen girl. "Hrm…" Ryozo growled, as he crouched down by her. "Dokusai's got a pretty good hold on these girls… hn?" As he spoke, he couldn't help but notice a key lying by Aven's body, and curious, he stretched his hand out to grab it.

Suddenly, however, Aven's hand grabbed hold of Ryozo's wrist, as she got on her feet, giving the guys quite the glare. "I'm not letting you approach Lord Dokusai, you…!" she uttered, as she was beginning to float in mid-air, much to the surprise of the boys, with the exception of Omega. "You will fall!" Then, from every corner of the town square, hundreds of locusts flew at the group, but everyone save for Omega weren't prepared for the locusts to actually biting at them as they passed by.

"Tsch- everyone, stand back!" Jin called, as he stretched his arms outward, just as a massive sphere of water began building up in his arms. "Mizu Mizu no Water Cannon!" he yelled, just as the sphere was launched upwards, taking out the majority of the locusts. "Alright, now we just have to find some cover before we drown the entire town!"

"That will not be necessary." Omega shot in, as he aimed his hands at the water sphere, before they turned into a pair of cannons, just as two rockets shot out of them, both of them colliding with each other inside the sphere, thus exploding, turning the sphere into nothing but rain.

"Well, that works, I guess." Ryozo uttered, as he turned to face Aven, only to see that she wasn't where she stood, and the key was no longer lying on the ground. Just then, they heard someone being restrained, and quickly, they turned to Nampu, who had been caught by Aven, who held a knife to his throat.

"No-no one moves!" she exclaimed, her voice wrought in panic, and the pirates could easily see that her hand was shaking. "I-I'll kill him if any of you even think about stopping me! Don't think I won't do it!" It became more and more obvious that Aven was doing nothing but grasp after straws; Omega was essentially immune to her illusions, and Jin and Ryozo both had Devil Fruit powers that outmatched hers by far. Despite this, none of them moved. "G-good… now just stay there, and nobody's-"

At that moment, however, Nampu suddenly grabbed the hand that held the knife, before actually bringing it closer to his own throat, shocking Aven. "You look nervous. If you're gonna slit my throat, then at least do it properly." he sighed, as it became obvious that he was holding it so that Aven's nervousness didn't spread to the shaky hand.

"Are you mad?!" she yelled, trying to pull the knife away, but Nampu kept it locked in place. "Do you have a death wish?!"

"I'm a pirate." Nampu replied, keeping a sturdy grip on his throat. "When I joined Zugai back home, I knew just what I was getting myself involved in; a life where no one would think twice of it if I suddenly dropped dead. After all, I'm a criminal, right?" he chuckled, as he noticed the smirks on Jin's and Ryozo's faces, which led him to chuckle as well. "But, as saddening as it is knowing that I can't help Zugai on his quest… if I die, then I die, right? No sense crying over spilt milk, y'know."

There was no immediate reply to this, as the town square fell silent. Then, what sounded like sobs broke the silence, as the knife suddenly vanished into thin air, before Aven fell on her knees, clutching her own arms. "I can't… forgive me, Lord Dokusai, but… they're far too strong…" she sobbed, as Nampu looked down at her, a look of indifference on his face.

Suddenly, glass shattering brought everyone back to reality, as something was headed straight for Aven, but in the nick of time, Nampu stepped in front of it, just as something jabbed itself into his left leg. Though Aven couldn't help but feel that everything around her went silent, for everyone else, it was a completely different story. "OOOOOOOWWW!!! SON OF A MOTHERF!£&?%´\¨~'*=¤$^ PINEAPPLE, THAT HURTS!" Nampu yelled, as Jin and Ryozo couldn't help but crack up at the sight of Nampu freaking out like that, especially after how cool he had acted when his life was being threatened.

"He is quite the one, right?" Ryozo said with a grin, as he nudged Jin, who merely nodded.

"But maybe you should check out his leg, just in case, _doc_." Jin shot in, as both of them kept laughing, unaware that Aven had collapsed due to the shock of seeing Nampu take a hit for her. Omega, on the other hand, headed over to her, to check her condition.

"Hm…" he hummed, as he felt her pulse. "…no sign of any anomalies in her heart-rate. She has merely fainted." he said, as he noticed an opening in her backpack, revealing the key that Ryozo had noticed earlier, as well as a console with a button that had been pressed, presumably when she had fainted.

As he inspected the key, Ryozo had pulled the knife out of Nampu's leg, as Jin kept some pressure on the wound. "Huh… I haven't seen any of these knives around." he muttered, as the knife turned out to be a kris, akin to the one Morte kept on his person. "I doubt that any of the girls owns this thing…"

"Well, whoever it belongs to, they can keep it away from my leg!" Nampu said with a huff, as he got ready to pout, when he noticed a hole in one of the windows in a house not too far from the castle pathway. "Maybe it came from there?" he guessed.

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"Yakigiri!" Wasting no time at all, KC dashed straight at Haze, uncrossing his blades when he got in range of her, but while she managed to avoid the slash itself by leaping over it, the flames from the KC's swords had spread over the roof, preventing the two from getting off it, as it now surrounded them. "Now, are you going to tell me where they are, or not?!" he yelled, as his blades started to glow red again.

"I think I'll have to say 'no' to that!" Haze yelled back, as the aura around her shifted from a blue color to a red one. "You like playing with fire, Swordsman? Then get ready for the lightning round!" she said, just as she started swinging her sword wildly about, which somehow generated orbs of fire that were sent flying at KC.

Luckily, KC ducked underneath some of the orbs, before preparing to swing his swords in an arc. "Kaenho Shaki Pondo Ho!" he exclaimed, as a massive wave of fire shot out from his swords when he slashed the air, which seemed to be far too large for Haze to dodge.

However, the aura around her quickly turned yellow, as she started spinning in a circle, holding the sword out-stretched. "Hasu-Shippu!" she said, as the aura around her began expanding the quicker she spun, and once the flames from KC's attack got in contact with it, they evaporated into thin air, but that didn't stop the yellow aura from expanding terribly quickly.

"Tsch- not good!" KC was quick to realize that the yellow aura was bad news, as he quickly turned Zanmato blue, before cutting through the flames surrounding him with it, retreating from the aura. However, the moment he did so, Haze followed him out of the flame circle, just before the hole KC made in it could close itself, the aura around her gone. "Hmm… clever girl." he muttered, just before he started coughing intensely, dropping to his knees.

"Huh?" Haze couldn't help but feel confused, as she looked down at KC. "Is that it? Don't tell me that you're done for, already." she sighed, as she raised her blade over her head. "Too bad; you looked like you could beat me for a second there."

However, the moment she slashed the sword downward, KC blocked it with his left falcata, keeping them at a standstill. "I'm not done yet…" he uttered, as he slowly got to his feet, still keeping Haze's blade locked in place. "Not until you tell me where Krystal is!" he exclaimed, just as he swung his right falcata's flat side at her, sending her reeling back a distance. _Gnh… aftereffects from that pill that pill-lady threw in me? _he thought, remembering how Veronica had caught him off-guard with one of her capsule pills.

"Hrm… You're tougher than you look." Haze sighed, as she held her sword so that the blade pointed at KC, even though she held her fingertips on the blunt edge of the blade. "But tough or not, you guys won't ever reach Lord Dokusai. After I'm done with you, your robot friend is next."

KC smirked, as he pointed his falcatas at Haze. "It's you who's gonna be done, because there's no way in hell you're beating me." Then, sparing no more words, the two flew at each other again, their blades clashing quite furiously together. "Tsurara Gari!" KC suddenly shouted, as he quickly put his falcatas over Zanmato's blade, before delivering a descending slash, which actually created a pair of icicles that stabbed themselves into the roof, though Haze had the courtesy to avoid it.

"Hana-Kai!" she exclaimed, just as she delivered a horizontal slash aimed at KC's waist, but he managed to block this, though that only resulted in her bringing her sword down. "Ro-Sui-Pu!" she said, just as she slashed the sword upwards, forcing KC to jump back to avoid it this time, but then, Haze quickly jumped over him, holding the sword over her head. "Kakuu-Kagai!" Then, as she descended down upon KC, she slashed the blade downward, which he blocked, though he was sent skidding along the roof a bit.

Gritting his teeth, KC couldn't help but stumble once more, as some green mist emerged from his mouth. "Gnh..." he uttered, as he stabbed the left falcata into the ground, supporting himself on it.

Seeing that, Haze sighed. "I see. Veronica popped one of her pills in you." she said, as she rushed at him, a red aura surrounding her sword. "Rest assured; I'll make sure you won't suffer from that any further!"

Reeling back, KC quickly sheathed Zanmato, before holding his falcatas so that they pointed upward, resembling rhinoceros horns. "Aisuru!" he said, before he quickly spun around, creating a horizontal wheel of ice around him that knocked Haze back. "Heh… had enough?" he said with a smirk.

"Tsch… not barely." she muttered, as she was covered in a red aura again. "Now, with my Konki Konki no Mi, and my blade, Aka-Hana, you will die." she added, before rushing at KC with furious speed, slashing the blade at him. Quickly, he parried the blow, as some of the red aura split of from her person. Then, she suddenly unleashed a rapid-fire hail of sword slashes, each of them parried by KC, and each blow splitting away some of the red aura.

Then, she jumped back, pointing her sword at KC. "Hrm… you're not bad at all." KC said, as he suddenly stumbled, before looking up in the air at the red energy. "What's all this?" he uttered.

"Your death!" Haze suddenly yelled, as she crouched down, before the red energy surrounded her blade. Then, before KC could make sense of things, she dashed past him, slashing at his chest as she went by. At first, nothing seemed to happen, but suddenly, the red energy exploded, as a massive cut appeared on KC's chest, and the leftover red energy descended like flower petals on the roof. "Sakura-Odori."

It looked like that blow was the final nail in the coffin, as KC seemed like he was going to fall over at any moment. Then, he dropped his falcatas, before stumbling backwards, which gave Haze the impression that KC was done. However, instead of landing on his back, KC suddenly drew Zanmato, using it to support him before he could fall.

Naturally, Haze was shocked, as she saw KC fight the wound on his body like that. "Impossible! That was my strongest attack... and you're still standing?!"

However, KC didn't reply, as he instead got in a proper standing position. As Haze would notice, KC didn't seem to be fully conscious, as he merely stood in place without moving. Then, suddenly, Zanmato's blade glowed yellow for a brief second. Then, it glowed for two seconds, followed by three seconds, until eventually, the blade was blinking in and out of its yellow color, glowing more brilliantly as time went by. Surprisingly, even the massive wound he had taken slowly stitched itself together as the yellow glow shone from the blade.

Then, KC turned to where Haze stood, before slowly lifting the blade, as if he was going to slash it at her. "S-stop! I'm warning you!" she said, as she pointed her blade at KC, but he seemed completely out of reach. "Alright, you asked for it! Hana-Nami!" Quickly, a blue mist was shot at KC, which turned into a wave of flowers that threatened to swallow KC up.

However, without as much as a sneer on his face, KC slashed the blade in an arc, just as a massive wave of bright light shot out from Zanmato, piercing the massive flower wave, and striking Haze head-on, sending her flying over the edge of the roof. Then, KC stood still, not even a look of remorse on his face.

Suddenly, however, the yellow glow of Zanmato became blue, and KC suddenly blinked, before noticing that Haze was gone. "Wha- did she escape?" he said with a shocked tone, looking around him, before noticing his falcatas lying on the roof. "Huh... why're those lying there?" he asked himself, before picking them up. Then, he suddenly heard a thump down below, but as he checked where the noise had come from, he saw absolutely no one, but a small console with a pressed button was lying there, along with a key...

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As Ryozo and Nampu had taken Leona and Aven's bodies and placed them by a wall, Jin and Omega were looking towards the house the kris had been thrown through. "You don't suppose that they're in there?" Jin asked, scratching his head.

"Unless the dagger belongs to one of your crewmates, I have my personal doubts." Omega replied, as he approached the window. "Still, taking a look could be beneficial to our cause."

Before he got too close to the window, they heard someone come running into the square, and looking to the left, they saw KC, looking quite exhausted. "Sorry, I lost track of her..." he began, scratching his head. "You guys haven't seen that girl around, have you?"

Whilst Jin, Nampu and Ryozo had no idea who KC was talking about, Omega simply shook his head. "No one has arrived from any corner of the town, save for you. So, I can only assume that she must've fled. Dokusai's elite forces are eliminated."

KC sighed as Omega said that, out of both relief and exhaustion, but before he could say anything, they heard some noises coming from the house with the broken window. "Hey, are anyone in there?" he asked, as he simply walked past Omega, before knocking on the door. "Hello, is anyone there?"

"Allow me." Omega said bluntly, as he pushed KC aside, before suddenly grabbing the door, tearing it from its hinges, before throwing it aside. "Sometimes, the direct approach is the simplest." he said, as KC, Ryozo, Jin and Nampu approached the open doorway as well, peeking inside. "Lights." Omega said, looking at KC.

Nodding, KC unsheathed Zanmato, as it suddenly flared up, which illuminated the room ever so slightly. "Well... if it isn't the Cross Skull Pirates..." a voice from within the room said, and though none of those present could recognize it, Jin and Ryozo instantly became aware of just who the voice belonged to, as KC's light showed just who were inside the room; Akira Mikage, Vraspos von Baron and Morte del Astuto, all of them battered, bloody and chained, and Vraspos and Akira gagged. "Though this is... hardly the way I wanted to encounter you once more..."

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**A/N: **Right, I hope you all enjoyed this installment. Now, I'd like to rephrase myself about this 'story idea' thing I got going last time. Remember when I said that you _could _be outlandish? Well, I retract that; you got to make it as outlandish as you can possibly imagine, without going too overboard (and considering that this is a One Piece fan-fic, that limit is hard to cross XD). What am I going to do with outlandish story ideas? Well, as soon as I get something VERY outlandish, you'll see. So, thanks to all those who have come with ideas so far, and just remember to read and review, and I'll be seeing you!

**YolkaEd**


	49. The Man They Call Dokusai part 6

"The same alarm again?" As the fights in town started to tone down a little, the alarm Den Den Mushi on Shieki's arm had called more than once, to Zugai's suspicion and Shieki's annoyance. "Are you sure that it isn't broken?" Zugai said, as he watched Shieki close the snail's shell in a huff.

"It could be, but I'm still keeping it on my possession. It's a gift from my betrothed, you see." he replied, as he prepared to knock on another brick.

"By the way, I never got around to asking; what's her name?" Zugai said, something that seemed to startle Shieki, but before Zugai could comment on it, Shieki had knocked on the brick, when something opened underneath him. "What the…?"

As both of them stepped away from the wall, they saw a passageway that went beneath the structure of the castle open itself, with a set of stairs as well. "Huh. Well, now I know where that was." Shieki commented, just as he heard something else, which Zugai didn't seem to hear.

"Great! Now, all we have to do is wait for my crew, and we can storm this castle!" Zugai said, as he looked down the passage. "I got to say, Shieki, if I didn't find you, I don't think we could enter the castle peacefully…" he said, but as he turned to face Shieki, he found that he had walked to the corner, peeking cautiously around it. "What's up?" Zugai asked, just as Shieki hushed him. Curious, Zugai stepped right behind Shieki, looking past the corner.

What had gotten Shieki's attention was that the drawbridge was being lowered, and once it had gone all the way down, hundreds of women emerged from the entrance to the castle, all of them wielding weapons, and all of them marching towards town. "Hrm… this is bad." Shieki uttered with a frown. "Someone must have defeated Dokusai's elite forces."

Zugai looked at Shieki with a puzzled look. "Isn't that a good thing?" he questioned, as Shieki merely shrugged.

"Depending on how you look at it, both yes and no." he responded, before looking away, making sure that they were hidden behind the wall. "While they are by far his strongest forces, their most fearsome attribute is what they do upon defeat; by activating a console when they are defeated, they send a signal to this castle, and then, the majority of Dokusai's army storms out to overwhelm the opposition. This leaves the castle unguarded, but it is only gonna be an advantage if anyone can get past the 300-plus women that the army consists of."

Upon hearing that, Zugai took a peek at the army, and finally noticed how large it was. If his crewmates had been busy with fighting those elite girls, then they would most likely have no chance of standing against all of these women. "Shit… I gotta help them!" he said, as he reached for Honehakaisha, but Shieki quickly put a hand in front of Zugai.

"As much as it pains me to say it, this is the greatest opportunity we can get to get inside of the castle. My betrothed is no fighter, so she's probably being kept in Dokusai's chamber as his plaything…" Shuddering, Shieki slowly approached the main entrance of the castle once the women were a distance away from them. "Come on; it'll go faster this way!" he whispered so he wouldn't catch attention to himself.

However, Zugai wouldn't budge. "My crewmates are probably being held prisoner by Dokusai…" he began, before turning his head to Shieki. "…so I should wait for my other crewmates to help me save them!" he said with a smile.

Shieki blinked, before chuckling. "You're quite the pirate, Hibiware." he said, as he entered the castle. "Be careful, though; Dokusai is quite formidable in combat." As he said this, the drawbridge closed itself, leaving Zugai alone by the secret entrance.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Man They Call Dokusai part 6**

**Entering the Den of the Villain**

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Jin, Ryozo, Nampu, KC and Omega were now staring down the captured beings that were the same bounty hunters that had nearly been the end of the crew back on Atsumari Island. "You guys look like crap…" Jin noted, though he was still standing in a defensive stance; after all, Morte had given Zugai quite the fight, only rivaled by his fight against Bane. However, one question remained; how could someone as powerful as he, along with his accomplices, be captured like this?

As he said that, Vraspos glared at the pirate group, before saying something muffled due to his gag. "'You're no prize yourself', he said." Morte translated, looking indifferently at the group. "Now, as much as it degrades me to ask, could you free us? That is, if you have the keys."

As Morte said that, Nampu tilted his head, as he looked at the image of the bound bounty hunters, still somewhat unclear, despite KC lighting the room up. "Keys?"

"Basically…" Morte sighed, as he looked at Akira for a moment, who seemed quite dazed, before looking back at the pirates. "Three of Dokusai's four elite soldiers have some keys on their person. If we could, we'd have Vraspos here cut through the chains, but they're made of seastone, so…" As he said this, Vraspos growled, and Morte yawned, possibly from being tired by the seastone.

"Nonetheless, unless someone can get those keys, we're simply stuck in-" Morte began, when he noticed Nampu holding up something; the key he had gotten from Leona's person. "…wait. You're telling me that…?" As he asked this, Omega and KC revealed the keys they had found from after their battles with Aven and Haze respectively, something that surprised the bound bounty hunters. "So, you beat them? Great. How about letting us out of these bindings, now?"

When Morte said that, however, Jin stepped forward and glared at them. "Give us a good reason why we should do that." he said; whilst Nampu had been informed of what Manigordo had attempted to do with the pirates via the poison, Jin was the only one present who had gotten a description of him and his accomplices. Naturally, he was wary of the bounty hunters.

"Well, did you see the knife fly out of the window?" Morte began, as Nampu got quite the grouchy look on his face. "I'll take that as a yes. Well, that was my knife, but Vraspos, his hands not being restrained…" As he said this, he motioned at Vraspos, whose hands weren't bound to his body; rather, they were cuffed, and for some reason, his arms weren't bound to the rest of his body, and it became apparent that Morte and Akira were bound the same way. However, as Morte was the only Devil Fruit user of them, he was the only one feeling anything from the seastone.

"Needless to say, Vraspos threw that knife, and who knows; we might have something sharp we could have him throw at you pirates if you refuse to help. Get us out, and we'll behave." The atmosphere in the room began to get tense, as Jin, Nampu and Ryozo glared at Morte, whilst Vraspos returned the favor.

"Well, why not?" KC suddenly said, causing both the bounty hunters and the pirates to look at him in disbelief. "If you got thrown in here because of Dokusai, I guess you're on our side, right?" he added, just as he approached Morte, before placing the key into the cuffs around Morte's wrists. Soon, the restraints fell to the floor with a thud, as Morte got on his feet, rubbing his wrists.

"Ah, nothing beats getting away from those kind of things." he said, before looking at the rest of the group. "Well?" A few grumbles were heard, as Omega and Nampu threw their keys at Morte, who caught them with ease, before he quickly freed Vrapsos and Akira from the cuffs. Then, in what seemed like mere seconds, Vraspos quickly cut off the chains around the bodies of the hunters with his Zweihänder.

"Right, if we're done, let's go." Jin sighed, as the pirates left the room, heading back into the town center. "We shouldn't let Zugai keep waiting for us." However, before they could get far, all of a sudden, Morte appeared in front of them, in his hybrid-form. "Oh, for Pete's- Can't you just leave us?"

Morte shook his head, as he pointed the blade of his pata at the pirates, just as Akira and Vraspos emerged from the building, surrounding the group. "Sorry, but I don't think I can let you leave just yet. After all, professionals do not simply let a bounty go to waste, right?"

Before anyone could answer that, they heard a battle cry, and as they looked towards the path leading to Dokusai's castle, they saw quite a sight; hundreds of female warriors stood at the ready, every single one of them holding some kind of weapon. "Enemies of Lord Dokusai!" the woman in front said, as she stepped forward. She wore a police uniform, with dark-green hair barely covering her eyes, and she held a baton which sparkled with electricity at the ends. "As you've defeated Die Veldheer Inkwartieren, our Lord has deemed you a threat to be vanquished immediately! However, you may surrender without a fight, and pray for him to be merciful!"

It was obvious that the male group was vastly outnumbered, as most of the guys had a worried look on their face, the exceptions being Omega, who merely scanned the opposition calmly, Vraspos, who still couldn't help but feel tense, and Morte, who simply looked at the ground. Then, the bounty hunter suddenly started laughing, in the same manner as when he first transformed before Zugai and Maria.

Of course, this was enough to upset the police-woman, who started to approach the group. "Did you not hear me? I said, 'surrender now, and pray for Lord Dokusai to be merciful'! So stop laughing!" she said, but that only caused Morte's laugh to intensify. "Enough, already! Will you stop that incessant laughter and listen to-"

All of a sudden, Morte was right up in her face, his pata only inches away from skewering her. "Any bounty hunter worth his mettle laughs in the face of such terms." he said, as he suddenly kicked the police-woman back into the army of females, before he looked over his shoulder. "Which one of you is it that has my kris at the moment?"

"That would be me." Nampu said with a frown, as he took the kris that once had been stuck in his leg, before throwing it at Morte, who caught it without a problem. "Next time, keep it away from my leg!"

Morte smirked, as he twirled the kris in his hand, before looking at the female army. "Akira, Vraspos, let's show these women not to underestimate Morte del Astuto's band of bounty hunters!" he said, as the police-woman he had kicked down got up again, looking quite agitated.

"Hmph. Finally." Vraspos muttered, as he walked past the pirate group, placing himself to Morte's right side. "Without your elite forces, we can take you out." he added, swinging his Zweihänder around like it was a toy.

Akira was about to join the bounty hunters, when he suddenly turned to face the pirates. "I guess this means we'll hold them off for you. You'd best get to the castle, and if you can't save my sister, there will be hell to pay!" he said, before he ran to Morte's left side, getting in a fighting stance.

Jin blinked upon seeing the bounty hunters risk their own lives so boldly for their sake. "Alright… everyone, get ready!" he said, as he stretched out his arms, which suddenly began waving like water. Then, water from his left arm covered Nampu and KC in a sphere of water, as his right one did the same with Ryozo and Omega.

However, before he got a chance to take off, he heard Morte say something: "Don't assume I'm doing this out of friendliness! When you see your captain, tell him that I'll take his bounty once he's done with Dokusai!" After Morte said that, Jin shot out jets of water from underneath his feet, before rocketing over the buildings and the women, who clearly noticed this.

"Ignore them!" the police-woman said, as the baton began discharging even more electricity. "I'm sure Felix and the Castle Guard will take care of those, but the bounty hunters are to be eliminated now! Charge!" As she said this, all the women roared, as they ran towards the bounty hunters.

"Hey, Morte." Vraspos began, as he weighed his Zweihänder in his hands. "Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?" he asked, just as Morte chuckled.

"When was the last time I've been wrong about anything, Vraspos?" he responded, mimicking the way he had answered Akira's question the day before, but as both Akira and Vraspos opened their mouths, Morte slashed the air with his pata. "It's a rhetorical question. Now, let's go again."

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Some time had passed since Shieki had entered the castle all alone, and Zugai was still pacing back and forth by the secret passage. "Come on, guys…" he muttered, once in a while looking down at the massive female army, but no sign of Nampu, KC, Jin, Ryozo and Omega anywhere. However, when he happened to throw a glance towards the town, he saw something emerge from the top of the houses, or rather, some_one_. "Guys!"

Yes, the one flying over the houses and towards the castle was Jin, keeping his focus on keeping the others contained within the water spheres, even though some of them looked like they were about to suffocate from lack of oxygen. Soon, however, Jin would land by the entrance to the castle, and the spheres dissolved, dropping the four others to the ground with a thud.

Of course, KC, Nampu and Ryozo were quick to cough up the water they had swallowed on their way to the castle, but Omega, unsurprisingly, didn't suffer from those problems. "Next time, Jin, at least give us some air bubbles!" Nampu said with a cough, as Jin only laughed weakly.

"There you are!" Zugai called, as he jogged to the group with a relieved look on his face. "For a minute, I was worried that you'd gotten overwhelmed, but no sense in doubting me crew, right?" he said, as the pirates chuckled a bit. "So, find anything in town?"

Ryozo shrugged. "All we found were some beat-up bounty hunters. They told us to say hi." he said, not wanting to bother Zugai with the presence of Morte at the moment. "Found a way in for us, captain?"

Zugai nodded, as he pointed to beyond the wall. "I found a secret passage into the castle. This guy I met suggested that we go through there, just so we don't alert out presence to Dokusai… which you guys may already have done." he said, as he looked down at the army.

"Hey, we're just as confused about that army as the next guy, Zugai!" Nampu replied, as he crossed his arms. "How were we supposed to know that this guy apparently has security cameras installed over town?"

"Actually… never mind; we've got more important things to worry about." Zugai said, as he turned towards where the secret entrance was. "Shieki already went in through the main gate. That might be the kind of distraction we need to infiltrate this place and save the girls."

As he and most of the guys went up towards this entrance, Jin was left standing alone. "…Shieki? Why does that sound familiar?" Shrugging, Jin ran after the others, quickly catching up.

As it turned out, the passageway went deeper than Zugai had originally guessed; when they reached the bottom of the stairs, there was at least two feet's difference between the roof and them. "Y'know, this all seems a little too elaborate for a 'secret passage', if you ask me." Nampu quipped, as they advanced through this tunnel.

"It might be that this was never intended as a passageway inside the castle…" Omega began, leading his hand across the walls. "…but as an emergency exit, in case the castle was overrun." he said, just as the group heard something behind them; a rumbling, followed shortly by all light in the already-dark tunnel dying out.

KC was quick to create some light with Zanmato, though he didn't just settle for making his sword glow red; instead, the heat going through the blade was so intense that it caught fire, creating a makeshift-torch. "Nice. We get comfortable, and the lights go out."

There was little conversation as the group made their way through the tunnel, but soon, they came to a complete stop; namely, a dead end in the form of a large mound of earth blocking their path. "Son of a…" Ryozo uttered, as he felt the surface of the ground before them. "It's a wonder it hasn't caved in."

Zugai sighed, as he happened to throw a glance upwards, when something caught his eye. "KC, give me some light." he said, pointing up towards the roof. As KC brought the torch closer to the roof, they saw a hole and ladder, the ladder being suspended in mid-air. "There's our entrance. Alright, let's get going!" he said, just as he was about to jump up to the ladder, when Jin and KC stepped in front of him.

"How about doing it in a more classic manner, captain?" Jin said, as he focused a stream of water to be shaped like a stairwell, just as KC stabbed the water stairs with Zanmato, which instantly turned blue, which also froze the stairs. "Now, everyone be careful; this is slippery." As he said this, he and KC were on their way up the stairs towards the ladder. Zugai, Ryozo, Omega and Nampu were quick to follow them, as they took turns climbing up the ladder.

Once they reached the top, they found what seemed to be a panel that covered their entrance into the castle, but that was easily knocked away, as the six got to see where they had ended up; it was a large, mostly empty basement, with barrels most logically containing alcohol scattered about. The lighting was practically nonexistent; most of what little light there was in the room was coming from an open door at the top of some stairs. "I'd have to say that we're going up there…" Zugai muttered, as he began walking towards the stairs, when the group heard growling from within the room.

"Wh-what was that?" Nampu asked, as he shuffled closer to Omega, who was silently scanning the room. "See anything?"

"It's hard enough to see in here as it is, Nampu…" KC retorted, as he pointed Zanmato in each direction that wasn't at the pirates, or towards the stairs. "But still, be on your guard."

The group stood still and waited for some kind of revelation to who this growler was. However, nothing turned up, and the pirates eventually relaxed a bit more. "Alright, let's get up those steps." Ryozo said, as the pirates walked towards the stairs (incidentally, in the same order they had advanced up the ladder), but just before Nampu got on them, they heard the growling again, though it was much closer this time around.

Turning nervously around, Nampu could faintly make out the features of some feline creature, which was slowly making its way out of the shadows, approaching Nampu with a great amount of patience. As it turned out, the creature in question was a large tiger, which could easily dwarf KC if it stood on its hind legs only. And right now, it had its eyes set on Nampu, who seemed more than ready to run up the stairs in a panic, though he was afraid that it would aggravate the tiger enough so that it'd pursue him up the stairs. "Eheh… nice kitty…" he whispered, as he slowly backed his way up the stairs, the others apparently not having noticed the tiger. "Don't attack Uncle Nampu, now, it would be unhealthy for both of us…"

However, the tiger ignored Nampu's pleads, and with a roar, pounced on the pirate, pinning him down on the stairs, having all intentions of mauling his face off, but not before glaring into his eyes. "Okay, little too close for comfort…" Nampu whimpered, as the tiger slowly opened its mouth. "Too close, too close, tooclose tooclose tooclosetooclosetooclosetooclosetooclose TOO CLOSE!!!"

Before the tiger could attack Nampu, it was suddenly thrown off by a red laser blast, sending it rolling along the floor below them. As Nampu looked upwards with a terrified expression, he saw Omega standing over him, his right arm a cannon. "You are safe now. Proceed up the stairs; I'll be right with you." As Omega finished saying that, Nampu wasted no time in quickly scurrying up the stairs, where the rest of the boys were waiting for them.

The tiger growled, as it got up on its feet, but before it could even move, Omega shot it again, sending it rolling closer to the panel they had emerged from. Before the tiger could even get up again, Omega sent another red bolt flying at it, before shooting another, all the while slowly approaching it. Soon, the tiger was right on the edge of the secret passage entrance, and Omega stood right over it. However, even as it was struggling to keep itself on its feet, it suddenly lunged at Omega, who was forced to block it with his arm, though the tiger successfully bit into the arm. With a small frown on his face, Omega swiped his arm so that the tiger was forced to let go, before it fell through the hole, creating a shattering sound-effect, possibly the ice stairs shattering underneath it.

Closing his eyes, Omega turned away from the hole, before walking back to the stairs, where the pirates were still standing, waiting for him. "That was awesome!" Nampu suddenly said, pumping his fist in the air. "You showed that tiger!"

"But why would a tiger be down here, anyway?" Ryozo muttered, as the group let out a collective shrug, indicating that no one had a plausible theory. "Right, forget I asked… so, where to now?"

"Right through here, I suppose." Zugai replied, as he pushed the door open, revealing quite the sight; the foyer of the castle, which was decorated with numerous trophies, paintings and wanted posters, most of which depicted women. Many of the wanted posters had also the word 'RECRUITED' written over them in huge, red letters. What was quickly noticeable was the fact that three stairwells lead upwards, and given the size of this castle, going up one of the stairwells would take some time.

The silence was suddenly broken when a distorted voice cleared its throat, coming from speakers all around them. "Welcome to my castle, Cross Skull Pirates. Unfortunately, I have no time to chat with you; I have a meeting to attend, and therefore, I'll be taking my leave soon. So, scram!" Then, a static was what met our heroes, before complete silence once more reigned supreme there.

"No can do, Dokusai." Zugai muttered, as he strengthened his grip on Honehakaisha, as KC prepared Zanmato, Ryozo grasped his stone sword, Omega's left hand turned into a buzzsaw, whilst Jin and Nampu merely cracked their knuckles. "We've got crewmates to save."

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**A/N: **Right, hope you enjoyed this chapter here! Not too much happened, but believe me; what happens next chapter is something I bet you can't foresee (some of you may, but I digress). What's gonna happen? We'll find out in the next chapter, so until next time, remember to read and review!

**YolkaEd**


	50. The Man They Call Dokusai part 7

The battle outside of Dokusai's castle only continued, with the vastly-outnumbered bounty hunters actually doing a decent job at repelling the many women. Vraspos, for instance, was easily cleaving through hordes of attacking women with his Zweihänder, without taking many hits from them. "Without their leaders, they're not much of a challenge." he uttered, just as he passed by six women with his sword spinning in his hand. "Destructive Slashes." he said, as the women he had passed by fell to the ground, bleeding from numerous places.

Meanwhile, Akira was taking a more direct approach to fighting the army of women, as when he wasn't punching and kicking down anyone foolish enough to come in his way, he'd grab one woman by the arm, before spinning around to take out anyone surrounding him. "Compared to some pirates I caught in East Blue…" he began, just as he threw one girl into a crowd of waiting women. "…these aren't as tough! It's like they just recently learned what the sharp side of a dagger was."

Morte, on the other hand, seemed to have a harder time, mostly due to his injuries from both their previous encounter with the female army and his battle with Zugai, but despite that, he managed to fell a good number of women, taking care not to simply kill them. "Remember, some of them may be wanted." he said, as he stabbed his pata at the leg of a woman holding a lance, who fell to her knees, dropping the lance in the process. "We'll lose money if we bring them in deceased."

"You'll bring in nobody, Manigordo!" he heard a female say, as he suddenly blocked a strike at him with his pata, showing the policewoman from earlier trying to knock him out with her baton. "In the name of Lord Dokusai, I, Tenpan Junsatsu, will kill you!" Then, a violently powerful discharge of electricity from the baton pushed Morte away from her, as she rushed at him again.

However, Morte simply swiped his pata at her, which cut across her chest. "That's your name, huh?" Morte said with a scoff. "Now that you mention it… wasn't there a bounty hunter with that name running around South Blue some months ago?" he said, as he turned into his hybrid form, letting him grab his kris with his tail. "There were rumors about her suddenly vanishing… so, this is where you ended up? Pathetic."

As he said this, Tenpan tried jabbing her baton at Morte, who effortlessly blocked it with his kris. However, the baton discharged electricity again, which surged through his tail, numbing it. "Not as pathetic as some low-class bounty hunter such as you trying to force an audience with our Lord. You won't stand against him for long!"

Gritting his teeth, Morte thrust the pata at Tenpan, who ducked away from it just in time. "Rest assured; I'll make sure that you die peacefully!" he said, as the two began clashing their weapons against each other furiously.

Vraspos noticed the two of them fighting so furiously against each other, as he smirked. "Seems like Morte found someone with an ego just like his." he said, just as he cut down two women charging at him with swords. "Akira, how are you doing?"

"Perfectly fine!" Akira responded, as he kicked a girl in the face, so she flew right past Vraspos. "But I'm not sure how long we can keep this up! For every one we take down, five more seem to pop up, and I think some of those are girls we've already felled!"

Vraspos scoffed upon hearing this. "It looks like Dokusai is forcing them to fight until they can't even move." he uttered, before looking towards the castle. "I wonder if those pirates are going to stop him."

"They better!" Akira said, as he punched a girl running at him. "I'm not sure if I can keep this up longer…"

Vraspos scoffed once more, as he got his Zweihänder ready. "Well, if Morte can keep up, I'm sure we won't fall behind before he does." he said, as both he and Akira rushed at a group of women waiting for them.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Man They Call Dokusai part 7**

**Hour of Confrontation**

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Zugai's attack group stood at the ready in the foyer of the castle, each of them looking around them to ascertain if anyone would come storming at them. However, nobody came after them, which caused the battle-ready pirates and cyborg to lower their guard. "Wait, where's his welcoming committee?" Nampu asked, the shock of the tiger attacking him earlier fading away.

"I think you may already have taken that out." Zugai responded, as he hung Honehakaisha over his shoulder. "Shieki mentioned that Dokusai's elite forces carry some consoles with them, and when they are activated, all his forces run out to crush them. I'm guessing that you guys ran into those other three Veldheers?" he said, as he looked towards some of the posters on the walls, when something caught his eye. By the gate of the castle, Krystal and Craigmirra's wanted posters were hanging, with the same, red text reading 'RECRUITED' as on most of the posters hanging around. However, only he seemed to notice this.

"So that's what that console was for." Omega said, as he crossed his arms. "A security system meant to obliterate anyone weak after defeating Dokusai's elite forces."

"The guy's crafty, I'll give him that." Jin said, as he cracked his knuckles. "It's not gonna help him when we gang up on him, though."

"First off, we got to find the girls." Ryozo began, as he looked towards the three staircases, each of them leading upwards. "I'm guessing that Dokusai's room is somewhere up those stairs, but which one, I don't know."

"It'll be a long climb, for sure." Zugai said, as he looked towards the stairs as well. "But even though most of Dokusai's forces are outside at the moment, I can't help but feel that he has some other forces hiding around the castle, ready to jump at us when the time comes. So, I say we split up into three groups."

As Zugai said this, Nampu groaned. "Splitting up isn't gonna do us any good, Zugai. For all we know, the guy could be hiding some female giant around this castle!"

"Highly unlikely." Omega shot in, his arms still crossed. "The logical approach would be, as Zugai says, to split off into three groups. However, I feel that the group division should be a 1-2-3, instead of a 2-2-2, when we consider the weaker members of the group…" he said, as he looked at Nampu, who immediately crossed his own arms, pouting along with it.

Before Zugai could respond to this, KC suddenly yelled. "What's the point of just standing around?! We've got to save the girls from Dokusai, before he can have his way with them!" Then, without warning, he suddenly ran towards the left staircase at a speed so rapid, a Soru-user would seem like a snail in comparison.

"W-wait up, KC!" Nampu called, but KC didn't listen, instead flaring up the stairs like a madman. "Oh, just… He could be running right into a trap!"

Zugai sighed, as he lifted Honehakaisha away from his shoulder. "Well, KC has a point. The longer we stand around, the longer it'll take for us to stop Dokusai. I'll follow KC. You guys split up as you see fit. See you at the top!" With that, Zugai ran towards the same stairs KC had run up, leaving Nampu, Jin, Ryozo and Omega.

"Captain's orders, huh?" Ryozo said with a grin, before nudging Jin. "Let's get moving! Dibs on the right stairs!" he added, as he ran towards the right staircase, before Jin could make sense of it. When he did make sense of it, he quickly passed by Ryozo by expelling water from his soles like jets, leaving Nampu and Omega behind.

"It looks like only you and I are left." Omega said, as he looked down at Nampu. "Shall we try our luck with the middle stairs… or would you rather try my proposal out?" he added, as he looked back at the center stairs.

Nampu blinked, as he looked from Omega to the stairs, before looking back at Omega again. "Look, no offense, but I think I'm gonna try my luck out with the other guys, alright?" he said, before running towards the stairs Jin and Ryozo had ascended. "You take the middle stairs, then?" he shouted behind him, as he left Omega alone in the hallway.

Nodding, Omega walked towards the central stairs, beginning to ascend them without a word. What was unusual about these stairs was that they didn't seem to go in any kind of loop until further up, about half-way up them. The central stairs, for instance, led directly up, before it took a sharp turn to the left, the turn being separated by a wide room, which could have been suitable for some kind of battle, but finding nothing of the sort, Omega chose to ignore this as he ascended. "…Sorgan." he uttered, as he made his way into said room. "I wish… to leave the Marines."

"_You? Really?" Viggs said, as he looked at Omega in disbelief. As it turned out, both of them were sitting by a table in a run-down bar, most likely off-duty for the moment, as they weren't wearing Marine uniforms. "Of all the people in the world, you're the last one I'd expect to back out of the business like that." he added, taking a bite out of an apple pie."So, why do you wanna leave the Marines?"_

_Omega didn't answer, as he looked out a window, where he saw a pair of kids running around, kicking ball and laughing blissfully. "…I did something unforgivable. Something that I feel cannot be repaid for, in any sense of the word. At least…" he uttered, before looking back at Viggs. "…not when my commanding officers twist Justice into something going against it."_

_Viggs nodded, as he took another bite out of the pie. "I get what you're sayin', Omega." he said, looking out the window as well. "I've been thinking of leaving it too. But I need an opportunity, or it's just not gonna fall through." Then, he looked back at Omega. "So, you gonna become a pirate, or something?" _

_Omega shook his head. "Pirates are the same as the corrupt Marines; taking their own, twisted spin on Justice. I could never associate myself with them."_

_Viggs nodded, as he got out of his seat, stretching his arms. "It's getting late. We'd best get back to the ship so we can sleep for the night."_

_Omega nodded briefly, as he rose from his seat as well. "Actually… I have someplace to go first. I'll meet you later."_

Omega sighed as he continued exited the wide room, heading up the remaining stairs. At the top of the stairs, he could see a light shining brightly, though as a cyborg, he remained undaunted by it, as he continued going up. "Hm… I still remember that day…" he uttered.

"_Get out of the way!" Several Marines tried heeding this warning their commanding officer shouted, when an explosion suddenly separated them, as Omega casually walked past the Marines he had knocked down. "Damn you… What do you think you're doing, Omega?!" the officer growled, as he quickly jabbed his finger into thin air, which somehow caused blood to leak from wounds on Omega's body, but the cyborg ignored it._

"_Commodore… no, that is the wrong term." Omega said, as he aimed his hand at the captain, as it turned itself into a gatling gun. "Even with your Heki Heki no Mi, you have no power to stop me. Now, I officially resign myself from the Marines. You have no authority over me." As he said this, the gatling gun suddenly opened fire, catching the commodore completely off-guard, as bullets sprayed all over his body, before his dead body hit the floor with a thump._

_With that done, Omega walked past the fallen Marines, into a room that had its door blown off its hinges. In there was nothing of much importance, save for a few documents. Frowning upon seeing that, he aimed his gatling arm at those documents, before firing upon them, tearing them to shreds within seconds. After thirty seconds, nothing salvageable was left from them. Omega turned away from the ruined documents, ready to leave, when the sight of Viggs in front of him stopped him. "Are you going to stand in my way too, Sorgan?"_

_Viggs didn't say anything, as he instead held up a roll of blueprints, which surprised Omega. "I figured that you'd try to destroy the blueprints of your schematics, so I took the liberty of making a copy of the more important ones." he said, as he approached Omega, before opening up a compartment in the cyborg's stomach, which he promptly stuffed the blueprints into. "There's a lot you don't know about this world, and there's stuff I'm sure no one knows about you… so when you meet someone you can associate yourself with, they'll understand how you work!"_

_Omega blinked, before closing his eyes. "So you are going to assist me, Sorgan? The Marines will have your head."_

"_If they can catch me, that is!" Viggs said with a hearty laugh. "You're my friend, and I'm not about to let some grunts in white coats and caps tell me that I'm gonna fight you! I've got a ship ready at the harbor; with any luck, we can get away from the Marines before they figure out who's responsible for this mess!"_

Omega sighed, as that memory was brushed aside for the more important things. "Right now, I have a duty to uphold." he uttered, as he got closer to the top of the stairs.

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Pursuing KC, Zugai had lightened his bones so he wouldn't take too long in getting up the stairs. Soon, he arrived in a wide room; similar to the one Omega previously had found himself in. There, he saw KC leaning against a wall, heaving for his breath. "KC, are you alright?" he asked, as he approached his crewmate.

"I'm…" KC began, as he started coughing. "I'm okay. But…" Groaning, he looked towards the continuing stairs upwards. "I can't let that guy have his way with Krystal and the others! Someone's got to put him in his place, and-" He was swiftly interrupted by Zugai lightly knocking him on the head, getting his attention.

"No need to get too riled up, KC." Zugai began, as he leant against the wall, looking at his gloved hand. "Look, I know that you and Krystal have a bond… even though you're not too keen on admitting it to one another."

KC blinked in shock upon hearing Zugai say that, before he looked into the ground. "…it's that obvious, isn't it?" he sighed.

"Well, sort of." Zugai replied. "Most of the crew's guessed that you and Maria have a thing for each other, just from watching you interact with one another. The only ones who doesn't seem to know are Ryozo, since he's the newest member, and Craigmirra, since… well, she's got the attention span of a ten-year old." he said with a chuckle.

KC didn't reply at first, as he clenched his fists. "…if that's the case… you know what she means to me, right? If I don't stop Dokusai, then he might-" he said, but a sudden burst of coughs stopped him from finishing his sentence, which also brought Zugai's concern forth.

"KC…" Sighing, Zugai stepped away from the wall, before looking at KC with a concerned look. "I know that we're in a hurry to save the girls, but if you waste your energy like that, then you'll have a harder time facing off against Dokusai when we eventually face him."

KC scoffed, as he cleared his throat for a bit. "Yeah… you're probably right, Zugai." he uttered, as he looked back at the stairs again, remembering the first time he had actually gotten to know Krystal…

_A small boy was sitting on the beach of Annai Island, holding his legs close to his body. His face was obscured from view, though it seemed like he was looking out to the sea. Soon, a small girl walked up behind him, her hands held behind her back. "Hey..." she began, looking down at the boy, who didn't budge from where he sat. "You've been sitting here for three days straight, now. Maybe you should…"_

"_It's been a week now." the boy said, without moving his head. "A whole week's gone by since my parents left me." He didn't add anything to that, which got him a look of concern from the girl, who sat down behind him._

"_They'll come back." she said in an optimistic tone. "Maybe they've just gone on a trip, or something. They wouldn't leave you here to fend for yourself, right?"_

_The boy merely shrugged, still without moving from where he sat. "I don't think they're coming back. They left without telling me, so why would they want to come back, anyway?"_

_The girl blinked, as she moved from behind the boy to the left of the boy, trying to read his facial expression. "But… what're you going to do, then?"_

_At that moment, the boy turned his head to face the girl, showing that tears were running down his eyes, but despite that, he was smiling a weak smile. "I'm going to train. I'm going to train myself in fighting with swords so much that when I'm done, nobody's ever gonna abandon me."_

_The girl had quite the look on her face when she heard this, as she quickly stood up. "That's crazy! You're just five years old! How can you expect to be able to even lift a sword at your age?"_

_The boy didn't answer, as he looked back towards the ocean. "I'll practice with sticks and twigs. A friend of mine, Sean, knows how to handle swords, so he's going to help me practice. And I'm not going to stop until I become as great with swords as the Pirate Hunter!"_

_The girl blinked, before giving out a sigh, closing her eyes, as her lips curled up into a smile. Then, she sat down next to the boy, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Then I'll help you. Things like that are easier with more than one, right?" The boy didn't reply, but in all honesty, there was no need for replies._

KC blinked, before suddenly nodding. "Alright, Zugai. We've got crewmembers to save, so let's do it together!" he said with a grin, looking at Zugai, who merely nodded in response.

"I wouldn't have it any other way, KC." he said, as both of them proceeded to walk up the stairs, a bright light shining at the top of them.

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"Wait up, you two!" Nampu said in annoyance, as he rushed up the stairs that Jin and Ryozo had climbed earlier. "Sheesh, this is what I get for not making up my mind earlier… wonder if it would've been simpler to just follow Omega?" he said to himself, when he heard what sounded like female laughter. "Oh, geez… who is it this time?" he uttered, as he picked up the pace, trying to ignore the pain in his leg.

When he got into the same kind of wide room that Omega, Zugai and KC had been in, he saw something to behold; Jin and Ryozo, on their knees, before a trio of women. The one on the left was wearing a dark blue bandana that partly concealed light blonde hair going down to her shoulders, along with bangs that covered her right eye. She also wore a short-sleeved, but quite loose black shirt, along with a worn-out vest and baggy pants.

The woman on the right was a completely different story; she was incredibly huge, ranging at least three feet over Nampu, and quite fat, but not to the point of morbid obesity. She wore a regular workman-outfit, with suspenders holding up her pants. Her dark-brown hair was tied in a ponytail. The central women was the one who stood out most, however; her long hair was a stunning silver, and she wore nothing but a two-piece bikini, exposing her tanned and quite busty figure. Also, she was the first to notice Nampu entering the room. "Hey, look, girls; another man for us to play with!" she said in a playful tone, winking seductively at Nampu, who immediately got a confused look.

"I don't like the looks of him, Tara." the bandana-wearing girl said, as she raised her fists, revealing a pair of bloodied brass knuckles equipped on her hands. "He seems like some kind of fruitcake. What do you think, Zuki?" she said, as she threw a glance at the fat woman, who only grinned in response, revealing a row of steel teeth instead of regular teeth.

"Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, Shimasu!" the busty woman said with a chuckle, as she pulled out a small bottle of perfume. "He'll be dancing by my pinky finger with a whiff of this!"

Nampu narrowed his eyes, before looking over at Jin and Ryozo. "Hey, you two! Aren't you going to fight these girls?" he said in an exasperated tone, when he suddenly noticed that both of the kneeling boys were coughing blood.

"We would've…" Jin began, as he glared hatefully up at Tara. "But she's… got some kind of-" Before he could continue, suddenly, Shimasu punched him squarely in the face, giving Nampu a shock.

"Ohohohoho!" Tara laughed, as she suddenly pointed at Nampu. "We're Lord Dokusai's Castle Guard! We may not be as strong as Die Veldheer Inkwartieren, but we're more than enough to deal with fools like you!" Then, as Shimasu got back in her place, all three women made a dramatic pose. "I am Tara Shikomu!"

"I am Shimasu Runick!" Shimasu continued, before throwing a glance at Zuki. "And she's Zuki Futtota. She's not the talkative type; what with her jaw being solid steel and all." As if on cue, Zuki grinned again, exposing her steel teeth once more.

Ryozo spat, as he looked over at Jin, who was slowly getting up. "I don't know how… but somehow, that busty chick's got some aroma thing… that can't make us move a muscle when we see her face…" As he finished his sentence, Shimasu was quick to break out from the pose, before punching Ryozo in the face as well.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Nampu exclaimed, as he looked at Tara, who was now both pointing and laughing at the two fallen pirates. "Wait a moment… I think I know what her secret is." he said with a snap of his finger, as he began walking past Jin and Ryozo, past Shimasu as well, before ending up right in front of Tara.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" Shimasu yelled, as she got ready to punch Nampu, but Tara held up a hand to withhold her from doing so. "Tara…"

"It's okay; I got this in the bag." Tara responded, as she took the perfume vial, creating a small, purple mist with it, which she promptly blew in Nampu's face, which somehow didn't give any reaction out of him. "So, like what you see?" she said in a more seductive tone, as she even began dancing in front of Nampu. "If you kneel, maybe I'll let you touch them~" she purred, blowing a kiss at Nampu.

However, what neither she, nor anyone in the entire room was expecting, was that Nampu suddenly grabbed her breasts, much to Jin and Ryozo's surprise, and Tara's, Shimasu's and Zuki's shock. "I don't get what guys see in these things; they're just mounds of tissue shaped differently from those that guys have." he said, seemingly not noticing that Tara was looking quite flustered.

Then, she quickly tore herself from Nampu's grip, covering her breasts with her arms. "What the hell's wrong with you?!" she yelled at him. "And why didn't you fall victim to my Amore-Odor?! Are you some kind of pervert?!"

"Nope; I'm just gay." Nampu responded, as he suddenly whipped out his iron pipe, slamming it into Tara's face, which knocked her clean out, and sent her flying onto the floor. "'sides, you asked for it, right?"

Shimasu could only watch as Tara was knocked to the floor, before she suddenly growled. "How dare you… you're gonna pay, you goddamn pervert!" she yelled, as she got ready to rush at Nampu, when a column of stone suddenly slammed into her, sending her flying past Zuki.

"Well, that wasn't how I'd envisioned our escape from that trap…" Ryozo said, as Nampu saw that both he and Jin had gotten back on their feet, though they were a bit wobbly from blood loss. "…but whatever I can get, I'll take. Nice, Nampu!"

Before anyone could say anything, they suddenly heard Zuki roar out of anger, and as the boys looked at her, they saw that she was changing size and shape. Her mouth was getting longer, almost like the snout of a crocodile, only thinner, and her body was covered in scales. Her eyes started to become more reptilian, and a spiked tail had emerged from her body. "Heh… now you assholes are gonna pay…" Shimasu sneered, as she looked up at Zuki's transformed form. "Zuki hates seeing us beaten down, so now you'll face the might of the Wani Wani no Mi: Model Gharial!"

As she said this, Zuki suddenly lunged towards Nampu, aiming to bite him with her teeth, which were still colored like steel. Luckily, a huge pillar of stone emerged in front of Nampu, letting him get some space between him and the massive gharial-hybrid. However, Zuki was quick to just bite the entire pillar asunder with her massive jaws. "Holy crap! What're those jaws made of?!"

As Nampu said that, Shimasu laughed. "Zuki's jaws are strong enough to chew through concrete when she's in human form! What makes you think that simple rock is gonna do to her when she's in that form?" she said mockingly, as Zuki lunged towards Ryozo, prepared to crush him between her teeth.

"Mizu Mizu no Water Cannon!" Suddenly, a massive sphere of water collided with Zuki's massive form, sending her propelling into a wall, which, naturally, shocked Shimasu. "We can't stand around here forever!" Jin said, as he quickly grabbed hold of Ryozo's and Nampu's wrists, before making a beeline towards the stairs going upwards. "Zugai and the others are probably waiting for us to get up there!"

As he spoke, however, it seemed like he didn't notice that Zuki had jumped towards them, her mouth wide open, ready to crush the pirates between her teeth. Of course, since Nampu and Ryozo had noticed Zuki, they couldn't help but shriek in terror. "JIN, YOU HAVE TO STEP ON IT!" Nampu yelled, as he noticed from the corner of his eye that Shimasu had gotten Tara on her feet, supporting her on her own shoulder.

However, before Zuki could wrap her mouth around the pirates, Jin's feet suddenly shot out a torrent of water, sending them rocketing up the stairs, just as Zuki crashed into the floor. However, the massive water pressure was enough to send the massive Zoan-user flying towards the stairs that led down, taking with her Tara and Shimasu by accident as well.

"Well…" Ryozo sighed, as Jin continued expelling water like a jet. "…that was fun. At least we can help the girls now!" As he said this, the trio came to notice that they were getting closer to the top of the stairs, where a bright light awaited them.

Suddenly, as if time itself sped itself up, the boys shot out of the staircase, as Jin finally let go of Ryozo's and Nampu's wrists; however, as Ryozo collided with a wall that was directly to their right, which stopped him from flying too far, Nampu was sent flying far to the left, before suddenly vanishing from sight, as total darkness engulfed the entirety of the room they were in. "What the…?"

At this moment, all the male Cross Skull Pirates and Omega had gotten to the top of the stairs, , where they all found themselves in a large, dark room. However, as they separated themselves from the groups they had run up the stairs with, all of a sudden, five walls shot down from the ceiling, splitting the room into six smaller rooms, which each housed one pirate, with Ryozo being the furthest to the right, followed by Jin, Omega, Zugai, KC and, funnily enough, Nampu, in that order.

Then, from the room furthest to the right, the lights would suddenly turn on, which let Ryozo notice that Shin was standing directly in front of the window, looking out of it. After that, the room in Jin's light turned on, which revealed Maria in the same position. Then Omega's room was illuminated, which showed Craigmirra looking out the window as well. When Zugai and KC's rooms lit up, they unveiled Chris and Krystal, respectively. And finally, when the light in the room Nampu found himself in was turned on, the one standing in front of the window was…

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**A/N: **AHA, CLIFFHANGER! Didn't expect THAT, did'ja?

Anyhoo, yeah, I'll admit that the ending is quite rushed, but I want to keep the element of surprise at the ready until the next chapter begins. If you'd like to take a shot at who you think is in Nampu's room, then please message it to me, rather than leaving it in a review; we wouldn't want to spoil others here if you got it right, right? Just remember to read and review, and I'll see you for 51!

On a side-note, do you think I should switch to a different subtitle than "The Man They Call Dokusai"? I'm a little conflicted on that issue... ^^'

**YolkaEd**


	51. A Battle amongst Crewmates part 1

As the wall slammed down besides Nampu, he looked at it with an irritated look. "Son of a-" he growled, as he gave the wall a good slam with his iron pipe, but to no avail. "Damnit… wonder if the others are okay?" he uttered, as he looked around the pitch-black room, wondering how to get out of there.

Then, all of a sudden, the lights turned on. The sudden change from darkness to light forced Nampu to shield his eyes, thus not alerting him to the fact that there was someone else in the room, standing in front of the window. "You've finally come, Hibiware." the person said, which finally allowed Nampu to see the person before the window, but the bright light only allowed him to see the person's silhouette. "Still having problems figuring it all out?"

Nampu blinked, as the man continued talking. _Why does this guy think I'm Zugai? _he thought, making sure not to open his mouth.

"I take your silence as a sign that you're still in the dark." the person continued, as he placed a hand on the window. "Well, not that it matters, anyway; you're far too late to save your crewmembers." he said, before he started laughing, just as Nampu slowly realized who this was.

_This guy… don't tell me that it's Dokusai? _Nampu thought, as he instinctively held both his hands around his iron pipe. _Of all the lucky… how am I supposed to fight this guy off?_

"Faking apathy isn't going to make me any less merciful, Hibiware." the man continued, unaware of who he was speaking to. "The Dorei Dorei no Mi is effectively bending the minds of your crewmembers to my will and whim. A machine has more free will than them at this point!"

Nampu growled softly, as he slowly began making his way towards the man, ready to knock the man out with his pipe. As he got closer, the features of the man became clearer; he was wearing what seemed to be purple-colored shogun armor, which covered the upper body of a purple suit, and his feet were adorned by what seemed to be shoes with blades clearly sticking out from both underneath the soles and on the surface of the feet themselves. "I can understand that you may be angry, but really; you should be able to find crewmates to replace them, right? That's what pirates like you do when someone's left behind."

Now, Nampu had managed to get all the way behind the man, as he raised the metal pipe, ready to strike him down in one, fell swoop. _I can do this… everyone's counting on this one blow! _Nampu's mind was blazing, as sweat trickled down his skin out of nervousness; after all, compared to most others he had faced during this adventure, Dokusai was actually intimidating him just by standing perfectly still.

However, as he swung the pipe down towards the man, it was effortlessly blocked by a sudden kick from the man, which brought the pipe to a perfect stop, the blades only inches from coming in contact with Nampu's face. "…you aren't Hibiware." the man said in a calm tone, as Nampu quickly got a distance away from the man, now seeing that he had identical hair to himself, and he had a black goatee and green sunglasses.

"The name's Nampu Kiyasui!" Nampu suddenly exclaimed, as his brows furrowed. "And you're Dokusai, right?"

The man only snickered at first, before breaking into a calm laugh. "Yes, you could say I am. The name is Dokusai…" he said, as he sneered. "Shieki Dokusai."

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Battle amongst Crewmates part 1**

**The Struggling Lord and Bane!**

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Ryozo sighed, as he looked at the wall that had slammed down next to him. "Geez… Jin, can you hear me?" he called, hoping to get some contact with his crewmate, to see if he was still alive. However, he got no reply that was audible. "Jin! Do you read me?" Growling, Ryozo began hammering his fist against the wall, but not a single sound emerged from beyond the wall. "Tsch… guess I'll just have to rip it asunder. Shouldn't take too long…"

At that moment, however, the lights suddenly turned on, which startled Ryozo somewhat. "Hn? Who's there?" he called, as he shielded his eyes from the light, when he noticed someone standing by the window. As he got more used to the light, he could make out that the one standing there was wearing ankle boots, along with boy's clothing, and the person also had very light blue hair. "Hang on… Shin, it's you!" Ryozo said with a relieved sigh, as he began approaching Shin, who only looked at him. "For a second there, I actually thought that you were one of Dokusai's girls! We've been dealing with a lot of them, so…"

However, only a few feet away from Shin, Ryozo stopped, which made Shin cock an eyebrow. "…Shin. What's wrong with you?" he said in a colder tone, as he stepped back a little. As he had noticed, unlike her regular, emerald green eye color, her eyes were both emotionless and jaded green. As Ryozo spoke, however, Shin began approaching him, as she even drew a smile, which only served to intimidate the doctor.

"Why, nothing's wrong with me." Shin said in a monotone voice, as she tilted her head slightly to the left, before reaching into her jacket. "In fact, I've never felt better in years. It's like all my problems have become nothing but an illusion… what about you, Ryozo? Surely, you have problems that have been nagging you for quite some time."

Ryozo gulped, as Shin only got closer to him. "Th-that's only your business if I feel like sharing it! And frankly, you're creeping me out too much for me to want to share!" he said, before suddenly digging his fist into the floor, before pulling out a stone sword. "Now what's the deal, Shin?"

As he said this, Shin only began to laugh, her eyes still void of any emotion, and her tone still eerily monotonous. "Surely you jest, Ryozo. I'm perfectly fine, and nothing ails me whatsoever… however, I think you might be slightly delusional." As she spoke, she slowly pulled her hand away from her jacket, revealing that she was holding her dirk. "Lord Dokusai wouldn't want you, or any of the other guys, to assume that we are acting irregularly." Then, with a swift movement, Shin stabbed the dirk at Ryozo, aiming for his head, but his rock-hard skin protected him from being skewered.

However, it didn't help him from being shocked, as he quickly pushed Shin's arm away. "What did you say?" he said in disbelief, as Shin began approaching him again. "Did Dokusai… shit! Zugai!" Then, he suddenly rushed towards the wall, as Shin stopped pursuing him for some reason. "I have to break through that wall, and-"

Inches before he could reach the wall, something exploded underneath him, which sent him flying back towards Shin, who continued to laugh, without showing even a lick of emotion. "Did you forget what I do best, Ryozo?" she asked, as he struggled to get up, the air having been knocked out of him. "Well, maybe you don't; you're the newest member of the crew, so it only figures that you wouldn't know." Then, as Ryozo had gotten to his knees, she knelt down to his level, looking him right in the eyes with that emotionless face. "I set traps, and this room is riddled with them. Lord Dokusai wouldn't want anyone to spoil the surprise, would he?"

Ryozo growled, as he rushed towards the wall again. "If I run at it from the same angle, there shouldn't be any kind of trap to stop me!" he said, as he got closer to the wall, when all of a sudden, he felt something clamp down on his leg, prompting a yell of pain and surprise from him. As he looked down, he noticed that exactly where the explosion had blown him backwards, there was a bear trap tearing at his leg, which was now bleeding slightly. "How did-"

Shin began laughing again, as she began approaching Ryozo, drawing her Espada Ropera. "I told you; laying traps is my specialty, and Dokusai has been gracious enough to provide me enough material to fill the entirety of Howling Moon with these traps, and we'd still have plenty left over." Then, she suddenly rushed towards Ryozo, ready to cut him with the ropera, her face now sporting an insane look. "It's been fun, but I'm afraid our time as crewmates has passed!"

As she slashed at him, however, a pillar of rock shot up in front of him, which blocked the ropera from reaching him. "Shin, you know Zugai wouldn't like you saying things like that!" Ryozo said, as he took hold of the pillar, before pulling out a moderately-sized club made out of rock from it. "Sorry, Shin, but you'll have to take a time-out. Doctor's orders!" Then, he prepared to swing it at Shin, who didn't stop smiling, despite her being at a disadvantage.

Suddenly, the club itself exploded, which sent Ryozo flying away from both the wall and Shin, letting him crash on the floor. "Like that's supposed to scare me!" Shin laughed, as she began lumbering towards Ryozo. "There are booby traps everywhere! You can't use your powers as effectively, since you risk pulling one of my traps along with your rock weapons! Unless you have a death wish, you're forced to use only your own body to fight me!"

Ryozo coughed blood up, as he looked towards Shin, before he slowly got on his feet. "Gnh… that's not really a fair match, is it?" he spat, before he motioned to Shin to come at him. "I've dealt with colds that hurt more than your explosions, Shin."

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"Ryozo?" Jin called, as he knocked on the wall, but he received no reply. "Damn… where did this wall come from?" he muttered, before looking behind him; though the darkness made it harder to see, he could make out that a wall had emerged on the other side of the room. "Trapped in here… well, might as well wait until Ryozo breaks down the wall. I'll give him ten seconds tops, before I start breaking down the wall myself."

As he looked at the wall, the lights suddenly turned on, forcing him to shield his eyes. However, what he failed to notice was someone rushing towards him. "HI-YAH!" the stranger shouted, as Jin suddenly felt a kick ram his ribs, before he was sent flying, skidding across the floor until coming to a complete stop. "Pr-prepare yourself, Jin!"

As he heard that sentence, Jin looked towards his assailant, and upon seeing the dark-blue hair and maid outfit, the navigator gaped. "Maria! What was that for?" he said in a shocked tone, as he got up from the floor. "We're trying to save you from Dokusai, and you attack us? That's not nice, you know!"

Maria didn't say anything, as she instead brought out Honetsukon, spinning it around masterfully. "M-my apologies, b-but Lord Dokusai insisted upon us taking you down in case you arrived here!" she said in her regular, shy tone, though she looked quite determined. "We c-could resolve this peacefully, but o-only if you submit to Lord Dokusai, Jin!"

Jin blinked upon hearing that Maria was speaking of Dokusai as if he was her master, before he shook his head. "Maria, that's not something pirates like us should be saying! You should be saying, 'I won't work for you, Dokusai, you mean dirtbag'! At least, that's what I think you should be saying!" he said, as he got in a fighting stance. "But if you're totally set on this, then I guess…"

Maria merely nodded, as she got in a fighting stance as well. "There's no other way; either y-you surrender, or I… I…" she stammered, almost as if she couldn't bring herself to say what she was going to say. "Surrender, or I…"

"You'll kill me?" As Jin said this, Maria got a surprised look on her face, almost as if she was hurt by this comment. "Hmph… seems like even that bastard can't completely bend you to his will. That means that there's hope." Smirking, Jin's fists were suddenly encased in water. "Don't worry, Maria; I'll be sure to bring you back to normal. But until then, don't hold back!"

Maria blinked, before she suddenly nodded. "R-right… forgive me, but Lord Dokusai demands it." Then, both of them suddenly flew at each other, with Jin delivering a strengthened punch aimed at Maria, and Maria throwing a kick at Jin's abdomen. However, even with his fist strengthened by water, Maria's kick turned out to be the stronger, as Jin was sent flying a distance by it, crashing into the wall. "Oh- I'm sorry!" Maria called in an apologetic tone, as she rushed at Jin again, ready to slam Honetsukon into him.

However, as he saw it coming, he was quick to shoot a burst of water from his feet, propelling him over Maria before she could hit him. Then, he quickly formed a sphere of water in the palm of his hand, before a tube of water surrounded the sphere. "Mizu Mizu no Cannon!" he shouted, just as he aimed the tube at Maria, before suddenly, the sphere shot out of it, going at a much higher speed than a regular Bullet would have gone.

Despite this, Maria leapt over it before it could hit her, before she whipped Honetsukon at Jin, the three-sectioned staff being long enough to reach Jin and knock him to the ground. "I-I hope you can forgive me for this!" she said, as she started descending, preparing to do a drop kick on Jin.

"Mizu Mizu no Fountain!" Jin suddenly yelled, as a torrent of water shot out from his head, crashing head-on with Maria, sending her flying into the ceiling. "Come on, I'm barely even trying!" Jin called, as he got on his feet, still shooting the water torrent at Maria.

However, soon enough, Maria actually got a foot-hold on the ceiling, before swimming down the up-going torrent at a remarkable velocity, and before Jin could make sense of things, she had reached him, delivering a double karate chop to his neck, knocking some air out of him. Before he could recover, however, Maria suddenly punched his gut, sending him crashing right into the wall again. "Jin… p-please, just surrender! Lord Dokusai wouldn't kill you, you know!" she suddenly called, her voice growing more desperate.

"Maria…" Jin uttered, as he felt that his consciousness was ebbing away. Despite that, he found himself back on his feet, swaying to and fro as if he was drunk. "I… I won't…" he began, just before Maria suddenly grabbed him by the throat, slamming him against the wall. "Ghk… I… won't… let him… win you… over…" he stammered as best he could.

"Please, just stop!" Maria said, her voice now actually pleading. "I-I don't want to kill you, but… but unless you surrender, then…" she stammered, her voice growing thicker with despair, as tears were building up in her eyes. "Please, Jin, just…"

Jin groaned as Maria only put more pressure on his throat, as he moved his arms to the side. "Not… until… you're… free!" he suddenly said, as massive torrents of water began spraying out of his hands, but this time, it was a continuous stream rather than a short burst, and with the intensity of the torrents, the room was actually starting to get filled up with water. "I'll… drown this room… if that's what it takes!"

Maria blinked in surprise, as she watched Jin fill the room with water, but she still held an iron grip on his throat. "But… but if you do that, then…" she stammered with a fearful tone, as she realized just what Jin was planning to do. "But… it's not going to work! I'm a fishwoman, and you're a Devil Fruit user! You'll end up committing a pointless sacrifice!"

As she said this, Jin could only smirk. "Well… if that's… what it's gonna take… to free you…" he coughed, as the water was reaching knee-height at this point. "…then I can live with… drowning!" As if on cue, his feet began shooting out streams of water, making the filling process go by much quicker.

"B-but…" Maria uttered, as her grip on his throat remained just as firm. "But… won't your powers just ebb out when the water reached a certain height?" she asked, but at this point, Jin was wavering on the line of consciousness and unconsciousness, his head weakly bobbing from side to side, like a rag doll. "J-Jin?!"

However, there was something odd about this; Jin's hands and feet still kept on shooting out water, and despite the water quickly going up to their waists, they didn't seem like they were about to stop. "Kkh… Mizu… Mizu… no…" Jin uttered, as his body slowly changed into a watery shape of sorts, even though he was still tangible, as Maria knew far too well. "…Water… Pressure…"

Then, almost immediately, the water began returning back to Jin in his watery form, and as Maria soon found out, his entire mass was expanding, to the point that her hand could no longer fit entirely around his neck. However, he still kept on expanding, eventually reaching the ceiling, still looking like he was going to fall unconscious at any moment. "And… Mizu Mizu no…" he uttered, as Maria stepped away from him in fear.

"J-Jin! What are you doing?" she questioned, though she received no reply, which was more than offsetting. "W-wait… Water pressure… Jin, don't tell me that you're going to-"

At that moment, however, Jin uttered only three words, which seemed to sum up just what Maria had feared. "Water Pressure Release!" At that moment, all the water that was kept inside of his body suddenly exploded, sending a mighty wave crashing down on Maria, flooding the entire room in a matter of seconds. The strangest thing about this was that even after the explosion had ended, Jin was nowhere to be found.

"J-JIN!!!" Maria suddenly yelled in terror, as she dived underneath the water to see if she could find any trace of Jin, but to no avail; all she could see was water, water and more water. _No… don't tell me that it was some kind of suicide attack?_ she thought, before looking at the wall separating them from Ryozo. _I… I can't let him die like that!_

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"GAH!" An explosion rang through the room, as Ryozo was slammed against the window, it having several cracks on it from having been repeatedly mistreated like that. "Kuh… Shin, you have to wake up…" he groaned, as he fell on his knees, the damage he had taken from his fights with Veronica, Tara's group and Shin's traps getting to him.

Again, Shin laughed, without any sign of emotion in her eyes. "I'm fully awake, Ryozo! But you need to go to sleep now… as Lord Dokusai commands it!" she said in a monotone, yet slightly insane-sounding tone, as she stabbed her Ropera into the ground, when another explosion combusted from underneath Ryozo, sending him flying a few feet into the air, before he landed face-first on the floor, right in front of Shin. "Did you enjoy my traps?"

Ryozo coughed, as he looked up at Shin with a mixture of anger and cockiness, grimacing. "Tsch… how about… another one of those exploding traps? I've only been hit by… what, thirty-six of them, now? And… I'm still not dead, Shin."

Instead of frowning, like one would expect, Shin only laughed more. "You're just a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" she said, before she backed away from Ryozo, as she got ready to stab the Ropera into the floor. "Well, here's another one!"

Just as she stabbed the blade into the floor, however, Ryozo leapt towards the wall separating him and Jin, so that just when the ground underneath him exploded, it propelled him into the wall, where he had been trying to get to all along. "Yes!" he exclaimed, just as Shin realized her blunder.

"Son of a- Stop right there!" she exclaimed, as she began running at Ryozo, who was pushing his hand against the wall for support. However, before Shin could stop him, he dug his hand into the wall. "No, wait, stop it! That's not how it's supposed to work! That's not what Lord Dokusai told me to let you do!"

As she said this, however, Ryozo only chuckled. "If we find Dokusai anywhere in this castle… we'll tell him to shove it where the sun doesn't shine." he said, as he began pulling on the rock. "Ishi Ishi no…" he uttered, as he suddenly pulled out a sword made out of stone, only to realize that in doing so, a great amount of water suddenly shot out from the resulting hole. "SON OF A BITCH!" he exclaimed, just as the smaller hole suddenly expanded, as if someone was hitting it with a great amount of force from the other side.

In a matter of seconds, the sword-shaped hole had become a decent-sized hole, which suddenly led to a large portion of the wall being torn away from the immense water pressure, sending both Ryozo and Shin crashing against a wall, just as the window finally shattered under the pressure, sending most of the water gushing out of the room. When the water pouring out of the window subsided, all that was left in the room was a knocked-out Ryozo, a knocked-out Shin, a knocked-out Maria, and a puddle of water which actually reformed itself into a knocked-out Jin.

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**A/N: **Well, I figured that I should get something out for you guys, especially since I haven't updated in a while, so here we go, the beginning of the end of the Dokusai saga! A little short, but it will get longer as we go on, trust me. As always, just remember to read and review, and I'll be seeing you for the next chapter!

**YolkaEd**


	52. A Battle amongst Crewmates part 2

The drawbridge of Dokusai's castle opened slowly, and when it was fully open, three characters wobbled out of it; Tara, Shimasu and Zuki, all three of them soaking wet, but only Tara seemed to be mad; Shimasu and Zuki were only exhausted. "I can't believe it! We ALMOST had those guys, but they just flew off! Can you believe the rudeness of those people?!" Tara shouted, as she crossed her arms, pouting. "And I still can't believe that gay little… he TOUCHED my BREASTS!" she suddenly yelled, before immediately turning around, waving her fist angrily to the inside of the castle. "YOU HEAR ME?! I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR THIS!"

"Well, you should learn better than trying that seduction thing on every male we face." Shimasu said, as she was suddenly holding a towel, which she wrapped around Tara's body. "Especially considering how little you're wearing."

Growling, Tara whipped herself away from Shimasu, before sitting down on the ground. "I can wear whatever I feel like wearing! Besides, Lord Dokusai recommended this outfit for me; he said it matched my personality!"

"What, the personality of a dumb broad?" Shimasu countered in a deadpan tone, which made Tara seethe with rage. However, a sigh from Zuki directed Shimasu's attention to the larger woman. "Hey, Zuki, no need to feel bad about what happened. You did what ya could, and no one's gonna hold a grudge against you for it." she said, which made Zuki smile a bit, showing her steel teeth.

"So, what're we gonna do now?" Tara said, as she threw a hateful glance at Shimasu. "Tenpan's gonna kill us if she finds out that we let intruders get past us." However, before Shimasu could reply to that, they suddenly heard the sound of glass shattering. "Huh? What was that sound?"

Shimasu blinked, as she looked behind her inside the castle, but nothing seemed to be out of place there. "Hm… I don't think we imagined anything, but…" she began, as she looked over at Zuki, who was looking up into the air, her mouth wide agape. "Zuki? What's going on?"

"DUCK!" Zuki suddenly yelled, as she grabbed Tara and Shimasu, before diving into the castle again, just as a massive torrent of water crashed into the ground, which would have crushed the trio, hadn't Zuki grabbed the three like that. "Lucky…" she muttered, as she let go of the two, before holding her jaw in pain. "Ow…"

Tara, of course, was in shock. "Zuki… you can actually talk?" she said in awe, before suddenly hugging the larger woman. "And you saved us like that, without thinking about your own safety! You're, like, the best friend ever!" she then said in a very grateful tone, as Zuki only giggled in response, as she returned the hug.

Shimasu, however, was looking down towards the town, where the water was headed at a rapid pace. "Whether Tenpan's gonna kill us or not, depends on if she's knocked out down there…" she muttered, before looking over at Zuki and Tara. "We should hide someplace in the castle; that way, if those pirates come back down again, we can ambush them."

As the two other women heard this, they nodded. "Yeah, let's do that! Maybe we could feed Felix again, before Lord Dokusai has to do it himself!" Tara said, as Zuki merely nodded, before the three went into a random door.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Battle amongst Crewmates part 2**

**The Biomechanic Man's Past!**

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Omega looked around him once the walls slammed down around him, with only a single raised eyebrow indicating that he was wondering about what was going on. "Hrm… this might present a problem." Omega muttered, as he walked up to the right wall, placing his hand on it. "Or not… this is simple rock. I could easily tear through it."

Suddenly, the lights turned on, but instead of shielding his eyes, Omega merely blinked, as he looked towards the window, where he saw a small figure standing by it. "You've caused much trouble here… Lord Dokusai doesn't like trouble-makers like you." the figure said, before it suddenly rushed towards Omega, revealing it to be Craigmirra. "And for Lord Dokusai's sake, I will vanquish you! Ravu Rabu Bubble Attack!" she yelled, as she began hurling pink bubbles at Omega, but he merely stood his ground, not bothering to even raise an arm to block this assault.

"Craigmirra." he then said, as he moved out of Craigmirra's path before she could run him over. "For letting Dokusai take control of you, even when we were so far away from the island… you are indeed a most peculiar female."

Craigmirra frowned, as she suddenly whipped around, before rushing at Omega, holding her hand behind her. "Don't just stand around and talk! Fight me! Handy Dandy Hanky Slap!" she yelled, as she suddenly leapt so that she was level with Omega's head, before suddenly slapping him with a great amount of force, but despite the brutal attack, Omega remained standing exactly where he was.

"If it had been anyone else, it would probably have been effective." Omega said, before he began approaching the left wall, ignoring Craigmirra completely. "If I take down Dokusai, then his control over you and the remaining females should be nullified."

However, before he could reach it, Craigmirra intercepted him, looking up at him with a frown. "Lord Dokusai is busy at the moment! I'm not gonna let you disturb him!" she said, but again, Omega completely ignored her, as he merely brushed past her, much to her chagrin. "And would you stop ignoring me, you fu-" Before she could break into her rage-mode, Omega zapped her with a green laser, freezing her in place.

"I have absolutely no interest in fighting you, nor would it be beneficial for anyone here." Omega said, before looking over at the wall. "A rocket should suffice to take out the wall. But first, I would like to see what is beyond this wall…" he uttered, as he blinked a few times, before he began squinting. "Now scanning data… initiating infrared vision."

After a short while, however, Craigmirra leapt on his back, trying to strangle the larger cyborg. "You know your paralyzing beam isn't gonna be enough to keep me away from you! If you want me out of your way, then fight me!" she said, just before Omega reached behind him, grabbing Craigmirra, before dropping her on the ground, without even throwing a glance at her. "Why… WHY WON'T YOU FIGHT ME?!" she yelled in anger.

"Because it is unnecessary." Omega responded, as he finally turned around to face Craigmirra, a cold look on his face. "Fighting for nothing but the sake of fighting is a pointless gesture, which only ends up with innocent lives being ended prematurely. It is illogical to fight without a real purpose."

Craigmirra gritted her teeth, as she suddenly pointed at Omega. "You're a cyborg! What makes you think that you know anything about stuff like that?! Lord Dokusai does what he does for a greater cause; fighting in his name is the only purpose I need!" Then, she prepared to throw a punch at Omega's knee, but the cyborg merely sidestepped it, letting Craigmirra fall to the ground when she lost her balance.

"I believe I know more about the subject than your so-called 'lord', Craigmirra." he said, as Craigmirra got back on her feet. "I've seen things any mortal man should never have to face, the living embodiment of hell on earth; war. It's nothing like what your crew may do, merely fending off Marines and rivaling pirates." As he spoke, he looked down at his own hands. "These hands have done more than simply knock a man senseless. They have shot, torn, chopped, pierced, ripped, crushed, burned… what I have done with these hands to other humans would be enough to ensure my deactivation and termination."

Craigmirra blinked, as she tilted her head at the cyborg. "Wait… if you really did what you said what you did… and knowing that you could be termalated for it… then why are you still here?" she asked, but this time, Omega didn't respond, as he was still looking at his hands, seemingly deep in thought. "Hey? Are you in there? Answer me!"

"_Answer me, Lieutenant 0-MAG-4!" the voice of a Marine commodore sounded, as we find ourselves near a pirate ship at open sea, which was set ablaze, the tongues of the flames leading some pirates to jump ship. On a Marine vessel just by it, Omega was facing a Marine officer with a rather broad chin, standing just as tall as the cyborg. "Do you know what you're going to do here?"_

_Omega merely nodded in response. "Affirmative, Commodore. I am to find any civilians that are onboard this vessel, bring them to safety, and decimate the entire pirate crew." he said, as the commodore nodded back._

"_You've got it under control. I and Captain Viggs will assist you as soon as the time calls for it. Now go, and show them the meaning of Justice!"_

_With a simple nod, Omega leapt over to the burning pirate ship, where some of the pirates noticed him. "It's that guy! The one who set fire to our ship!" one of them said, as he aimed a gun at Omega._

"_Damn him! This ship was going to get us to Raftel!" another one said, as he held a cutlass at the ready. "We can't let the Marines get away with this!"_

"_You're right!" another one said, this one being female, as she held a blunt, wooden club in her hands. "Those bastards will pay for what they did to our captain's treasured ship! ATTACK!" Suddenly, both the pirates with melee weapons rushed at Omega, whilst the third one fired his gun, but the bullet simply bounced off Omega's metal skin._

"_Resistance is futile." Omega said, as his left hand turned into a buzzsaw, which he suddenly swung at the cutlass-wielding pirate, slicing his hands cleanly off from his body, leading to the pirate screaming in agony. "For your crimes against the World Government, you will face the death penalty, with immediate effect."_

_As the cutlass-wielding pirate sunk to his knees as he looked at his bloodied arms in pain, the club-wielding one looked at him in horror. "Faran!" she yelled, before she suddenly looked at Omega in disgust and hatred. "How dare you… he's my older brother!"_

_Omega didn't even bother raising an eyebrow, as he aimed his right hand at the girl. "Maybe you should have considered a different career, woman. Following your brother's footsteps-" he began, just when the girl slammed the club directly into Omega's face with a great amount of force. "…your attack is ineffective against me." he uttered, just as the girl backed away from him in shock when she realized that her attack had no effect._

_Faran winced, as he looked at the girl. "Liana, forget about it! You have to run away, or he'll kill you!" he yelled, as Liana began looking from him to Omega with a look of terror on her face._

"_That advice is far too late for her to follow now." Omega said, just as his right hand turned into a drill. "Her life is now forfeit." he added, before stabbing the drill forward, intending to impale Liana with the drill._

_Suddenly, however, she was pushed away by the gun-wielding pirate, leading to him getting stabbed by the drill, but despite that, he held onto Omega's arm for dear life. "Liana… take Faran and run…" he said, as blood began dripping out of his mouth._

"_CONRAD!" Faran suddenly yelled, as he began running towards Omega, when Liana suddenly held him back. "Conrad, you can't die! We were all going to find One Piece together, right?!"_

"_Faran, you can't! Not in your condition!" Liana said with tears in her eyes. "Please, brother, don't strain yourself like this!"_

_Conrad__ coughed, as he looked at Liana and Faran with a weak look. "I'll hold him off… now go." he said with a small smile, just as Liana looked back at him, the tears still rolling down her cheeks. "And Liana… don't cry. It doesn't… suit you." he added, before looking back at Omega, who was completely unaffected by this emotional display._

_Then, Liana suddenly grabbed Faran, as she leapt off the ship with him in tow, with Faran only managing to yell Conrad's name before they went missing. "Hm… you do realize that I can kill them whilst they're in the water?" Omega began, as he tried moving his drill out of Conrad's body, but the pirate held onto it. "You've made an illogical action, pirate, and the consequences will be-"_

"_Would you… just shut up?" Conrad spat, as he slowly pulled a lighter out from his pants. "For my crew… my ship… and my friends… I'm taking you with me, Marine." he said with a smirk, just before pulling something else out of his pants; a stick of dynamite, with an incredibly short fuse. Before Omega could react, Conrad had lit the dynamite stick, and within seconds, it exploded, engulfing both Conrad and Omega in a huge explosion that took out part of the main deck._

_On the Marine ship, the commodore had watched this scene take place, and was now waiting stoically for the smoke that had erupted from this suicide-attack to clear out. When it did, he smirked, as he saw only one character still standing, this being Omega, who was still alive, despite having had most of his flesh burnt off from the explosion, revealing most of his exo-skeleton. "That 0-MAG-4 unit is truly magnificent…" he muttered, before taking out a Baby Den Den Mushi. "Captain Viggs, prepare to board the vessel. We shall strike at once."_

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Maria blinked, as she regained consciousness. _What… what happened? _she thought, as she slowly got up from the floor, before she suddenly noticed everything around her; the shattered window, the hole in the wall, the remaining puddles of water, Shin, Ryozo, Jin… _Oh… that's what happened. _With that thought in mind, she began walking towards Jin, who seemed to be unconscious.

Then, she heard some coughing, but it didn't come from Jin. As she turned to the source of the sound, she saw that Shin had gotten up from the floor, coughing up water. "Man… I didn't expect that." she groaned, just as she noticed Maria looking towards her. "Oh, Maria! You're here… great timing! Now you can help me kill everyone for Lord Dokusai's sake, right?"

Maria blinked for a moment, just as she realized that slowly, Jin and Ryozo were regaining consciousness. With a brief nod, she began walking towards Shin, without saying a single word. "That's good! But how do you think we should go about killing them?" Shin began, as she looked down at Ryozo. "Personally, I'd prefer blowing them up, but maybe Lord Dokus-"

"Forgive me." Maria suddenly said, as she drove her fist squarely into Shin's gut, knocking the air right out of her. At this moment, both Jin and Ryozo woke up, as they saw Maria knock Shin out like that. "As long as he's up and running, he'll have control over you… so please forgive me." she whispered, as Shin sunk to her knees, before collapsing on the floor.

Both Jin and Ryozo couldn't help but feel confused, Jin most of all. After her deed was done, Maria simply stood in place, her shoulders ever so often shaking a tiny bit. "Maria…?" Jin said in a concerned tone, but that alone was enough to make Maria run towards him and bind him in a hug.

"P-please forgive me!" she said desperately, as she was now completely in tears. "I-I only did it b-because I d-didn't want him to s-suspect me! I only d-did it to… I…" At that moment, words failed her, as Maria only continued to cry, sobs being the only thing emerging from her mouth.

"Maria…" Jin repeated, as he returned the hug. "Don't worry, everything's going to be fine now…" he said in a relaxing tone, trying to calm Maria down.

"Wait, hang on a second!" Ryozo suddenly called, which made Jin and Maria look in his direction. "You said something about you 'not wanting him to suspect you', right?" he asked, as Maria nodded solemnly. "So… does that mean that Dokusai… didn't have any control over you at all?"

"Y…yes." Maria replied, as she let go of Jin, looking into the ground. "I… I thought that it was a bit strange that all the girls suddenly wanted to explore the town, so… I volunteered to go, just to keep an eye on them." she said, her entire body shaking every so often. "When we got to the plaza, however…"

"_Th-this town looks like it's deserted." Maria said, as she, Krystal, Chris, Shin and Craigmirra had gotten to the town plaza. "W-we should probably go back and g-get the guys with us."_

"_We won't need them." Chris suddenly said, as she looked towards the castle. "If anything, I'm sure that we'll find who we're looking for at that castle." As she said this, she pointed her finger towards the castle._

"_Yeah, we'll definitely find him!" Craigmirra said in a giddy tone. "Dokasee… Dekasuu… what was his name again?"_

"_Dokusai." Krystal responded, as Maria threw her a confused glance, which she quickly noticed. "What's wrong, Maria? Surely you know Lord Dokusai?"_

"_You know, the guy we're working for?" Shin shot in, as now, all of the girls were looking at Maria with some interest. "Well?"_

_Maria suddenly nodded, as she laughed softly. "O-of course I kn-know Lord Dokusai." she said, though in reality, all she knew of this person was what Omega had told them back on the bridge leading to Seisabetsu Island._

"_Naturally." Chris said with a nod, before she looked back at the castle. "Well, shall we? Lord Dokusai wouldn't want to wait for us!" Then, the girls headed for the castle, but when none of the girls were facing her, Maria's smile sunk away._

"I… forced myself to keep up that charade, all so the girls wouldn't catch onto the fact that… that Dokusai never was in control of me. I don't even think Dokusai himself knows that." Maria said, as she slowly clenched her hands into fists, biting her upper lip as not to break out in tears.

"So… even though you weren't controlled…" Jin began, as he got up on his feet, looking down at Maria. "…you still opened the biggest can of whoop-ass I've ever been handed." he said, as he was actually smiling, but it didn't help Maria's mood much.

"I didn't mean it!" she finally yelled, burying her face in her hands. "I didn't mean to hurt you, but Do-Dokusai said that he'd keep the rooms monitored, so I… I had to… I had to…" At this moment, she could only sob, as Jin and Ryozo looked down at her.

"Maria." Jin said, as he knelt down next to Maria, holding a hand under her chin, lifting her head up so she would look at him. "You did what you did for the sake of the crew, and even if I had ended up dead… then it would at least have been worth it." As he said this, Maria finally seemed to brighten up, just before catching Jin in another hug, which he returned.

"Well, I hate to break up a moment like this…" Ryozo began, as Maria and Jin looked towards him again. "…but I think we've got some problem on our hands. If I'm guessing correctly, Craigmirra, Chris and Krystal are still under Dokusai's control, and given these walls, he's probably sealed two crewmembers in each room so they had to fight like we did."

When Ryozo finished talking, Maria gasped, as she and Jin let go of each other. "Homigosh, that's right! Dokusai said something like that to every one of us, and he said that he would take care of Zugai personally!" Then, she looked towards the hole in the wall, her teeth gritted. "Oh, why didn't I take him out when I had the chance?"

"We can think about that later!" Ryozo said, as he ran over to Shin's unconscious body, before picking her up, heaving her on his shoulder. "Right now, we've got to help our crew!" With a nod, he, Maria and Jin ran through the hole in the wall, headed for the next one.

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_A door was suddenly kicked off its hinges, as__ an exo-skeletal Omega emerged from the doorway, scanning the room, which had been set ablaze like the other rooms he had checked. "No civilians so far… this is a tad bit unsettling." he mused, as he entered the room, scanning it for any form of life. "Perhaps the pirates have already…"_

"_Don't talk to yourself too much." a raspy voice said, which caught Omega's attention. As he directed his eyes to the source of the voice, he saw a man clad in a black jacket emerge from the flames, a bowler hat worn on his head, and his hands held firmly behind his back. "It's not good for your health."_

_Immediately upon seeing this man, Omega aimed his left arm at the man. "Captain Oniku Moor, 'Hive Master'. As a Lieutenant of the Marines, my duty is to execute you immediately, pirate." he said, though Oniku only chuckled._

"_I don't think so." Oniku then said, as suddenly, dozens upon dozens upon dozens of cockroaches suddenly emerged from every conceivable spot in the burning room, crawling up Omega's legs to prevent him from moving, and on Oniku's body, giving him a large pair of arms made purely out of cockroaches. "My friends would hate for me to disappear so quickly." Then, he suddenly slammed the arms against Omega, but the cyborg was smart enough to block the attack._

"_Even though your Mure Mure no Mi grants you the power to summon these insects to aid you in battle…" Omega uttered, as his hands turned into buzzsaws, which began cutting through the arms of cockroaches. "…insects are still nothing but insects. They will not save you from death."_

_Oniku only laughed, however, as he opened his mouth, just as a massive swarm of locusts flew out of it, all of them aiming to bite at Omega's skeleton. "My friends are everywhere… at sea, in the sky, on land, with me… they, along with my crew, will show the world just what pirates like ourselves stand for." he uttered with a grin. "A band of Marines can never take the memories we instill in others away, no matter how hard they try."_

"_Poetic. But it will not save you." Omega uttered, just as he managed to break his right hand free, which turned into a gatling gun, just as it opened fire on Oniku. At first, most of the bullets were blocked by several cockroaches, but after a while, the pirate could no longer block the shots, as he allowed himself to become riddled with bullets. However, he only kept on laughing, just as he sank to his knees._

"_Heh… I won't let you… take me alive. My name shall… not be forgotten, though." Oniku said, as he looked at all the insects, which were now eyeing him curiously. "Friends… come to me… let us feast on the memories of our prime." he said, before he collapsed on the floor, laughing all the while. Then, all of the insects flew away from Omega, only to land on Oniku's body, apparently consuming his body, though it did not make him stop his laughter, until a few minutes had passed. Then, all of the insects vanished into thin air, as if they had never existed, and all that was left of this pirate was his bowler hat._

_Omega could only blink at this development, but nonetheless, he felt that he was done here, as he turned away from this scene, when he heard footsteps behind him. Throwing a glance over his shoulder, he saw that a small child was walking towards the bowler hat. "D-daddy?" he whimpered, as he grabbed the hat, holding it close to his person, before looking up at the cyborg. "Where's my daddy?"_

_Omega turned fully around so that the child could see him. Judging from what this child had said, he could only assume that Oniku had been this boy's father. Though he did not know it at the time, he felt a sense of guilt run across him, as he had been responsible for the death of this child's parent. "…he-"_

_Before Omega could even think of a way to finish his sentence, something pierced the child's skull, something that surprised the normally-stoic cyborg. Everything seemed to move slower, as the boy flew off his feet, before landing on the floor with a crash. That noise was what it took for Omega to look behind him, only to see the commodore pointing his hand towards the child's body, a smirk quite visible on his face. "And that is the end of it."_

_Omega blinked, as he looked at the heartless expression on the commodore's face, before looking back at the dead child, definitely killed by the Devil Fruit powers of his officer. "…commodore. That child was no pirate. Why… why did you kill him?" he said in his normal tone of voice, though he felt something that he had never felt for as long as he had been unfrozen._

"_Because he was the son of a pirate." the commodore replied coldly, as he lowered his hand, taking on a stern expression. "The child deserved nothing less than that." Those words seemed to have an effect on Omega, who closed his eyes just as the commodore stopped talking._

_Just then, a distressed Sorgan Viggs approached the commodore from behind, heaving for his breath. "Commodore, we've searched this entire ship, and there were no signs of any civilians onboard! Didn't the reports indicate that this pirate crew had taken hostages?!" he said, just as the commodore turned to face him._

"_Who said anything about any reports, Captain Viggs?" the commodore said in a snide tone, as he brushed past Viggs in an arrogant way. "The entire crew has been decimated. Leave the bodies behind; the flames will take make sure that there is no trace of them left behind."_

_As he left, Viggs growled, gritting his teeth. "Damn it… Omega, let's go." he said in a defeated tone, but when Omega didn't comply, he turned around to see that Omega was still looking at the child. "Hey, did you hear me?" he said, as he approached the cyborg, getting a good look at his face. "Hey… you alright?"_

"_I… I feel… strange." Omega uttered in his normal tone, but Viggs could soon see that the cyborg was genuinely crying, even with only his exo-skeletal face. "Viggs… what is happening with me?"_

Omega blinked a little, as he looked down at Craigmirra, who was still awaiting an answer. "…I'm still here, because I did what I did in the name of 'justice', if you could call it that." he said, as he turned away from the smaller girl, looking towards the window. "Absolute Justice requires no explanation for why you brutally murdered an entire household, ransacked an entire town, or killed a fellow officer. As long as you did it in the name of Justice, you got off without any form of penalty. That is not the life I was built for."

Craigmirra blinked, as she crossed her arms. "So, you won't fight me because you used to be a mass-murdering Marine? Puh-lease, that has got to be the lamest of excuses ever! Lord Dokusai doesn't like lamers like you, you know. Maybe he'll drop you into the sea for it!"

Omega blinked for a moment, before smirking. "Hm. Perhaps that is the true reason I do not desire to fight you; because I am a 'lamer', as you put it. However…" he said, as he turned to face Craigmirra, his right arm turning into a cannon. "…just because I cannot fight you, does not mean that I cannot subdue you." Then, before Craigmirra could react, he unleashed a hail of green laser bursts from the cannon, all of which hit Craigmirra, sending her propelling into the wall, before she fell over, completely paralyzed. "Even if it means that someone else beats Dokusai before I can, I will not let you try to stop anyone else from beating him."

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**A/N: **You may not be able to tell, but I'm a teensy, tiny bit annoyed. You see, I had finished the last part of Omega's flashback and the end of his fight with Craigmirra, I saved the document, except I apparently hadn't! So, I had to rewrite the ending all over again, which delayed the chapter somewhat. Well, at least I got it out, right?

And before I forget it again, Shimasu Runick is actually made by , not by me. I keep forgetting to type that, these days… well, anyway, just remember to read and review, and I'll see you for number 53!

**YolkaEd**


	53. A Battle amongst Crewmates part 3

In the town plaza, the fight between Morte's band of bounty hunters and Dokusai's army of women was still going strong, with a third of the women having been knocked out by Vraspos and Akira alone. "We're doing good! Just a little bit more, and we'll have taken out all of them!" Akira said, as he wiped his forehead with the back of his arm, just as he slammed his fist into a woman rushing up behind him.

"Don't get cocky, Akira." Vraspos said in his usual way, as he cut down five women in a single slash of his zweihänder. "Or else you'll just end up like Morte did back on Atsumari." he added with a smirk, as he looked towards where Morte and Tenpan were still fighting each other, with a crowd of women having surrounded them to see the action.

"You just don't seem to give up." Morte hissed, as he held his kris firmly with his tail, before jabbing it repeatedly at Tenpan, who knocked away the strikes with her baton. "Then again, I heard that you were known for your tenacity and sheer refusal to give up in any situation. If I wasn't trying to kill you, I would have invited you to join my band of bounty hunters."

Tenpan scoffed, as she rushed at Morte, ducking away from a slash from his kris and pata, before jabbing her baton in his gut. "As if I'd ever accept such an invitation!" she said with a sneer, just as electricity discharged from the baton's tip, sending Morte flying into the crowd of women with a bang. "I do not see why Die Veldheer Inkwartieren wanted you alive. You're nothing but filth that needs to be cleansed, all in the name of Lord Dokusai!"

At that moment, however, a fully-transformed Morte leapt out from the crowd, before pinning Tenpan to the ground, growling quite menacingly at her. "If I decide to spare you, my dear Tenpan, you can tell your Lord to shove it. I cannot allow some washed-out bounty hunter like yourself be a match for my power."

With a shout, Tenpan suddenly pushed Morte off her, before getting to her feet, holding the baton at the ready. "Washed-out? I'll show you washed-out, Manigordo. Once I've killed you, I'll take care of the Demon's Orthopedic and his crew, and deliver their heads to the World Government. That'll prove that I am the superior of us, pussy-cat!" Then, she rushed up to Morte again, trying to jab the baton at him.

However, the ocelot was quicker than she was, as he dived away from Tenpan, before biting her leg, forcing her to let out a yell of pain. "Don't even think about it. The Demon's Orthopedic is my target, and I'll kill anyone who dares think about cashing in on his bounty before me!"

As the two continued their fight and bickering, Akira and Vraspos were looking at them with some sense of confusion, making them almost forget about the women trying to kill them. "So… Morte's become obsessed with trying to catch Zugai?" Akira asked, as he side-stepped a blade slashing down right next to him, before giving the owner of the blade a powerful kick to the gut.

"Not from what I gather." Vraspos replied, just as he blocked an axe with his sword, before cutting down the woman trying to kill him. "However, I think he's more or less obsessed with trying to prove that he is better than Tenpan. Honestly, I think he's wasting his time; she's from South Blue, and he's from East Blue."

"Yeah, but all she has is that electrified baton. Morte's got the Ocelot-fruit, so he's probably got more power than she does." Akira said back, just as he ducked under a spear, before sweeping the woman's legs just as she realized that she missed.

"Still, she's from South Blue, and he's from East Blue. There is a difference in the level of criminals from sea to sea." Vraspos retorted, but before he had a chance to stab a incoming woman with his zweihänder, he heard a scream. "Hn?"

As he and Akira looked towards the source of the scream, both of them noticed that a massive wave of water was rushing down from the castle, headed straight for the city. "Huh. It's just water. We should be fine, right?" Akira said curiously, as the women were now retreating from them.

"Aside from Morte, yes." Vraspos replied, before he suddenly realized something, which was only confirmed when he looked towards where Morte and Tenpan were fighting; now, all of the women surrounding them had fled. "Wait a minute… Crap." Then, he suddenly grabbed hold of Akira, before rushing towards Morte and Tenpan, who were still unaware of the water that approached the plaza.

"H-hey, Vraspos! What's gotten into you?" Akira called, as the water entered the plaza, flushing away anyone who hadn't evacuated out or further into the town. "It's just water, so why are you acting so strange?"

"Akira, you do know what happens when you drop an electrical tool in a pool of water?" Vraspos said, as he got closer to Morte and Tenpan. While Akira didn't reply, a shocked look on his face indicated that he realized what Vraspos was talking about. "If we allow those two to continue their fight, they risk the lives of everyone in this town, especially with that electrical baton!"

At the moment, Morte and Tenpan were struggling for power, as Morte's pata grinded against Tenpan's baton, whilst sparks erupted from both the baton and their eyes, meaning that none of them had the incentive to even hear the incoming flood of water. "What kind of bounty hunter has their hair set up so ridiculously anyway?!" Tenpan yelled, as she tried pushing Morte away from her, to no avail.

"I believe I could say the same to you!" Morte snapped back, but before anyone of them could hurl any insults at each other, Vraspos had reached them, grabbing them both, as he leapt up towards a building roof, but this led to Tenpan dropping her baton, letting it fall to the ground, with the water rushing towards it, something Vraspos notice with a curse under his breath.

Suddenly, however, the minute the baton would have become submerged in the water, it was suddenly thrown into the air by an unseen force, letting it land on the same roof that Vraspos landed on, just as he dropped Akira, Morte and Tenpan on it. "Who the…"

As it turned out, the one who had sent the baton flying was a revived Aven, who had used her illusionary powers to create a catapult, which had been the cause of the baton's launch. "Phew… that was close." she muttered, as she was holding the unconscious Leona clear from the water, before she looked towards the castle. "What is happening up there, anyway?"

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Battle amongst Crewmates part 3**

**Crescent Dagger vs. Bone Destroyer – The Rematch!**

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Zugai looked at the wall that now separated him and KC with some surprise on his face. "That's… inconvenient." he uttered, before throwing a glance at the other wall on the other side of the room. "Alright… guess I'll have to cut my way out of here."

As he said this, the lights suddenly flashed on, forcing him to shield his eyes, but rather than just using his arm, Zugai held Honehakaisha so that the blade blocked most of the light from destroying his eyesight. "'fraid I can't let you do that, _captain_." he heard someone say, as he looked towards the source of the voice, who turned out to be Chris, who stood by the window, juggling her double-sided dagger in her left hand. One thing Zugai immediately noticed was that she wasn't wearing her hat like she usually did.

"Chris? Where's your hat?" Zugai asked her, as he started walking towards her, though at a slow pace, as he was wary of her, seeing as she wasn't wearing her hat. "And what was with that emphasis on the word 'captain'? You know you can just call me Zugai."

"Hmph… alright, Zugai it is, then." Chris said, before grabbing the dagger in mid-air. "Regardless, I'm not gonna let you leave this room." she said, before turning to face Zugai, the dagger now pointed at him. "Lord Dokusai wouldn't want you to disturb him… at least not in the state you're currently in."

As she said this, Zugai stopped walking towards her, before holding Honehakaisha in a defensive stance. "Did you say…" he uttered, before sighing. "Then Omega wasn't too far off. Sorry for not being able to help you when you needed it; as a captain, that is an inexcusable act on my behalf."

"Save the apologies, Zugai!" Chris said, as she began spinning the dagger in the hand she held it with. "If you really want to apologize for something you shouldn't bother with, then lay down your axe, and I'll take you to Lord Dokusai. He's wanted to see you for a while." she added, glaring spitefully at Zugai.

Zugai returned the glare, but in a more pitying way than Chris' glare. "No, I won't." he said sternly, as he swung Honehakaisha over his head, letting the blade rest on his left shoulder. "I'm not laying down my treasure to anyone, especially not some freak who thinks he can get away with brainwashing my crewmates." Then, he began cracking the various joints in his body, still not taking his eyes away from Chris. "So even if you like it or not, Chris, I'm going to leave this room, and I'll release you from his grip." Then, he smirked just a bit. "That's a promise, and an order."

Chris narrowed her eyes as Zugai said this, before she stopped spinning the dagger. "…try as you might, but I'm not going to let you beat me, Zugai." she said, as she began approaching Zugai. "Actually… this takes me back. What about you?"

Zugai blinked, before nodding, knowing just what she was talking about. "It ended with a sudden drop before the climax of the fight could take place. But if you're really going to go through with round 2…" he sighed, as he clenched his right hand into a fist, still letting the axe rest on his shoulder. "…then don't expect a fair fight."

"I won't, of course. We're pirates, after all!" Chris replied, just as she dashed at Zugai, slashing her dagger at Zugai's arm, but he repelled this by hardening the bones in his right arm, before blocking the dagger with the arm, leaving virtually no damage done. "Tsch- you and your ability!" she hissed, just as she began slashing wildly at Zugai, but he calmly blocked every strike with his arm, without even bothering to counter any of her attacks.

However, when she tried to stab the dagger at Zugai, he was quick to lash his arm out, striking Chris' arm so that she dropped the double-sided dagger in surprise. "Gotcha." Zugai said with a slight smirk, as he quickly moved his hand in order to grab Chris' left arm, but she stepped backwards just before he could grab her.

"If you think you can win by pulling my arms out, then you'd better think again, Zugai!" Chris said, just as she pulled out her Deer Horn Knives, which she slashed at Zugai with impressive agility; however, her speed was far outmatched by Zugai's defense, as he blocked both the knives with Honehakaisha.

Before she could retaliate, however, Zugai quickly reached his right hand out, grabbing her left upper arm, but Chris almost immediately tried getting out of his grip, which she managed after a short while of struggling, but unfortunately for her, Zugai had managed to pull out her humerus, rendering half of her arm immobile. "Almost…" Zugai said with a sigh.

Though her left arm was hanging loosely from her side, the rest of the bones in that arm were still intact, allowing Chris to keep a steady grip on the Deer Horn Knife, even considering her current handicap. "Don't think this means that you've beaten me, Zugai!" she said, just as she lunged towards Zugai again, aiming the knives for a strike.

However, as she had difficulty moving her left arm, Zugai could easily sidestep the attack, before he suddenly swiped Chris' humerus at her, knocking away the knife she held in her right hand. With a growl, she lunged at Zugai once more, swiping her left arm about wildly, but not even that was enough to strike Zugai once. "C'mon, stand still and let me hit you!" she yelled, before suddenly dropping the knife in her left hand, which she immediately picked up with her right hand.

As she got ready to strike Zugai again, however, he had already made his move, attempting to grab her right arm like he had done with her left one. But this time, Chris had the incentive to move her arm out of the way before Zugai could grab it, before she attempted to cut his arm, but this only resulted in the knife being locked against Zugai's right arm, which he swiped away so that she lost hold of it, leaving her defenseless. Despite this, Zugai did not attack her at all. "Are you done yet?" he said in a relaxed tone, which only served to agitate Chris more.

"No! I'm not going to stop until you've been brought to Lord Dokusai!" she shouted, just as she pulled out yet another dagger from her jacket, but this one, Zugai knew far too well; the Seastone throwing dagger that he had acquired from Wana, before having given it to her. With a quick jab of the dagger, Zugai was forced to move Honehakaisha in the way of the dagger, knowing that if he was struck by that thing, he wouldn't be able to lift the incredibly heavy labrys. "Now, eat this!" she said, as she was now slashing the dagger wildly about, attempting to get past the larger axe, which Zugai efficiently used to block every single strike.

However, Chris was quick to take out her crescent dagger from the jacket, which she held with her left hand, slashing it at Zugai along with the Seastone dagger. Knowing that the Seastone dagger would be the most dangerous to be struck by, Zugai focused on blocking that the most, which led to him taking a few hits from Chris' crescent dagger, leaving a few scratches on his body. "So, this is how you want to live out your days, Chris?" he suddenly said, which made Chris temporarily stop slashing at him, giving him an opportunity to create some space between them, though he dropped the humerus the moment he leapt backwards.

"Wha… what do you mean?" she uttered, before shaking her head, pointing the Seastone dagger at Zugai. "Stop babbling; if you lay down your weapon, I'll-"

"You'll what?" Zugai said with a raised eyebrow, which surprised Chris somewhat. "You'll deliver me to Dokusai like you're some kind of lapdog? That doesn't sound like the girl who joined my crew back on Shigusa."

Chris blinked, as she lowered the knife from pointing at Zugai. "You… would you just stop being so cryptic?! What do you mean by that?!" she said angrily, as Zugai simply sighed.

"You were going to live your life like each and every day would be your last, right, Chris?" he continued, as he pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. "I'm pretty sure that working under some guy who has nothing but women under his rule counters that line of thought pretty effectively."

Now, Chris seemed like she was losing her train of thought, as she looked frantically around her, almost as if she wanted to escape from this conversation as a whole. Finally, she yelled in desperation, before throwing the Seastone dagger at Zugai, but instead of blocking it, he allowed it to stab itself into his right shoulder, effectively driving him to his knees, which also led to him dropping Honehakaisha. "Why… you could have gotten away from that with ease. So why didn't-"

"You don't… want this." Zugai began, as he moved his left hand towards the dagger, before he tried pulling the dagger out of his body, to little effect at first. "Someone as free-spirited as you really doesn't fit as a slave to someone… and the same goes for the rest of my crew." As he spoke, he suddenly pulled the dagger out of his shoulder, suppressing a pained groan. "I didn't dodge that attack, because I think you need to see that no matter who tries to usurp control of you somehow, I will still be there to help you out… Chrisanthia."

Upon hearing that name, Chris' eyes widened, as she backed away from Zugai, now visibly trembling. "I… but you… and he…" she uttered, before she suddenly held her head in pain. "N-no! Get out!" she yelled, something that confused Zugai. "Get out of there, right now!" As she said this, she suddenly took the crescent dagger in her right hand, before jamming it into her left upper arm, gritting her teeth to suppress a yell in pain. "Get out of my head!" she hissed through gritted teeth, as she continued to jam the dagger into her arm, to Zugai's shock, as she kept repeating the same line over and over again. "Get out of my head! Get out of my head! GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!"

Before she could stab herself again, however, Zugai suddenly grabbed her hand just before the blade would have gotten in contact with her skin once more. "Hey… you okay?" he said in a baffled and concerned tone, as Chris only looked into the ground, heaving for her breath.

"Zugai…" she uttered, before suddenly turning her body so that her left hand could lightly knock Zugai on the head, something that confused her captain. "I told you that I didn't want you calling me that." she said in her usual tone, as she looked up at Zugai, who needed a few minutes to realize that somehow, Chris had broken free from her mind control.

"Y-yeah, I won't do that anymore…" Zugai said with a weak laugh, before looking at the wound in Chris' arm, which was bleeding profusely, much more than normal, most likely since she didn't have a bone in her arm at the moment. "But did you have to do it like that?" he said, just as he picked up the humerus, before putting it back into Chris' arm once more.

"Eh, it's nothing big. I can get Ryozo to check up on it later." she replied, almost as if she never had been under anyone's control. Then, she dug her hand into her jacket, pulling out her black hat, which she was quick to place back on her head. "And Zugai… thanks."

Just as she said this, the two heard an explosion, and looking towards the source of the noise, they saw a hole in the wall which was smoking from said explosion. Those who emerged from the smoke were Ryozo carrying an unconscious Shin, Jin, Maria and Omega holding a paralyzed Craigmirra under his arm. "Zugai! And Chris!" Maria said in a relieved tone. "You're both alright!"

Ryozo, however, winced upon seeing the wound on Chris' arm. "For god's sake, Zugai, you couldn't be a little less rough with her?" he sighed, but before Zugai and Chris could explain what had transpired, he grew a worried look on his face. "Wait… why aren't you fighting Dokusai?"

Zugai blinked, as he looked from Chris to Ryozo, before shrugging. "I've been wondering that for myself. Where is he supposed to be, anyway?" he replied, just as Omega stepped forward, looking at the wall.

"I can see two life forms battling on the other side of this wall." he said, as everyone in the room turned to look at the cyborg. "One of them is… 'Magic Swordsman' KC Boom. And the other one is… 'Explosive Archer' Krystal Gem." he said matter-of-factly.

"So, wait, if we're all here…" Jin began, rubbing his chin in thought. "And KC and Krystal are fighting there… then…"

Soon, everyone save for Omega, Craigmirra and Shin grew a worried look on their faces, as they all looked towards the wall. "So… the only one left is…" With this in mind, nearly everyone ran towards the wall, ready to bring it down. "NAMPU!"

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**A/N: **Okay, sorry for the shorter length, the time it took to get this out, and (perhaps) the sub-par conclusion to Chris' and Zugai's fight. However, I'm sure the next one will definitely make up for it, so just remember to read and review, and (hopefully) I'll get the next one out quicker!

**YolkaEd**


	54. A Battle amongst Crewmates part 4

Once Dokusai announced his name, Nampu gulped a bit. _So, the mastermind behind it all, captor of our crewmates… and I'm left to fight this guy by myself._ he thought, as he glanced at the wall from the corner of his eye. _This guy obviously wanted Zugai for himself… wonder what Zugai's doing right now?_

His train of thought was derailed once he saw Dokusai slowly approach him, the blades on his shoes making a metallic clank every time he moved his feet. "Hmph… such a shame. And here I was hoping for Hibiware to react in shock upon seeing this 'betrayal'… well, killing you should be of some compensation." However, as he got closer to Nampu, he suddenly stopped, as he held his head in what seemed to be pain. "Shit… I lost one."

Nampu blinked once Dokusai said that, but shook his head as not to dwell too long on it; after all, Shieki didn't seem to notice him. _If I play my cards right, I can walk out of the door behind me, and pretend this never happened. _he thought, as he began slowly backing away.

"Don't move." Dokusai suddenly said in a slightly pained, but otherwise completely dry tone. "I'd rather we didn't play cat-and-mouse throughout my castle; it's a large place, and you could get lost." The tone of his speech was more than enough to make Nampu stop dead in his tracks. "And if you got yourself lost, I can't begin to tell you how much I'd have to work just to kill you."

Almost immediately after finishing his sentence, he delivered a kick aimed at Nampu, but even as Nampu avoided the kick, he was still scratched across his face from the blades on Dokusai's shoes. "Oh, come on, that's hardly fair!" Nampu said, as Dokusai raised the leg that had struck Nampu, looking at the small amount of blood on the blades.

"Fair? I thought pirates such as yourself were above the concept of playing fair." Dokusai sighed, before he delivered a series of kicks aimed at Nampu, the blades on his shoes just barely missing the first mate each time he tried attacking. "Come on, aren't you going to attack me?" he laughed.

At that moment, however, Nampu saw an opening, as he rushed past a kick Dokusai made at him, before drawing his iron pipe, clobbering Dokusai squarely in his face with it. "How do ya like that, huh?!"

However, Dokusai didn't seem to mind this, as he turned his head back to Nampu, who understandably was shocked. "That's it? That's all 17 million can muster?" Then, Dokusai suddenly kicked his foot at Nampu, the blades piercing his left side, which made him keel over in pain. "You're in way over your head, Kiyasui. I'll make sure that you'll regret ever trying to oppose me!"

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Battle amongst Crewmates part 4**

**A Pained Heart's Struggle!**

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KC blinked once the large walls separated him from Zugai, leaving him in complete darkness. "Zugai?" he instinctively said, just as he drew one of his falcatas, just as it began glowing red, creating some light for him. "Well, this is great… where did these walls come from?"

After a short while, the lights suddenly flared on, but as KC had a light of his own for a while, he wasn't as affected by the sudden change of lighting. However, the sight of someone standing by the window was more than enough to garner his attention. "Krystal!" he exclaimed, as the person in front of him was indeed Krystal. "Thank goodness, you're alright! I was afraid Dokusai had done something to you!"

As he spoke, he was running towards her, but strangely enough, she said nothing at all, as she only looked out of the window. "Hey, Krystal, can't you hear me? It's me, KC!" he called, but once he did that, Krystal suddenly turned around, aiming her bow and an arrow at KC. The most obvious thing about her was that her eyes were completely blank, without a single speck of emotion in them, which made KC stop his rush toward her. "K-Krystal?"

The only reply he got from Krystal was the whizzing of an arrow, which he narrowly ducked under before it could have struck him, letting it explode safely behind him. However, KC didn't get a chance to speak, as Krystal began firing rows and rows of explosive arrows at a blazing speed, giving KC nearly no time to do anything but dodge the onslaught of exploding arrows. "H-hey, Krystal, snap out of it! What's gotten into you, all of a sudden?" he yelled, which somehow made Krystal stop her rampant firing spree, but she still kept an arrow pointed at KC.

"I answer only to Lord Dokusai." she said in a monotone voice, her lifeless eyes following KC with his every move. "You are not him, and therefore, I see you as a threat to Lord Dokusai. All who oppose him will face destruction." Then, she let go of the arrow, but instead of leaping away from it, KC slashed the air with his falcata, which still glowed red, so that the arrow was carried away by a stream of fire, letting it explode harmlessly away from him.

"Lord Dokusai..." he uttered, just as his eyes widened in horror. "No… don't tell me he's controlling you, too!" However, once more, Krystal shot an arrow at KC, but as he ducked away from this one, it didn't explode like the previous ones had done. "Hn?"

"Lord Dokusai has given me various other arrows to combine with my archery." Krystal said, as she drew another arrow. "Aside from exploding ones, I now have regular ones." she added, as she suddenly split one of the arrows into multiple ones. "Of course, some of them might not be considered regular." Then, aiming the multiple arrows upwards, she fired a volley of them at KC, who blocked them from reaching him with a wave of ice.

"Krystal, you have to snap out of it!" KC yelled, as the ice crumbled once the arrows had been stopped by it. "Don't tell me that you can't remember me?" His reply, however, was an arrow that was aimed at his head, but a quick swipe from his falcata repelled the arrow. However, this led to an arrow being fired at his feet, but even as he leapt backwards to avoid it, it blew up once it struck the ground, the force of the explosion blowing KC further away from Krystal.

"You are naught but an insect in Dokusai's path." she said in the same, monotone voice, as she began stepping away from the window, her bow still pointed at KC. "An insect that he has granted me authority to crush beneath my feet." Then, she drew another arrow that split into multiple ones, before releasing them in KC's direction, but a wave of flames burnt them to a crisp before they reached him.

"Krystal… please, don't make me do this…" KC uttered, as he stood up again, his falcata now glowing red. "I… I can't bring myself to hurt you." he said, as he gritted his teeth. "I just…"

"_Wow, that's so cool!" a young boy said in awe, as he was looking at a bird with an arrow sticking out of it lying on the ground, with a slightly younger girl standing over it, a bow held in her hands. "You took that out in one shot!"_

"_I guess I did." the girl laughed, as she pulled the arrow out of the bird. "Looks like we've got dinner tonight!" she added jokingly, as both she and the boy laughed. "So, are you going to practice with Sean today?"_

"_That's right!" the boy said, just as he picked up a stick, before waving it about like a sword. "He's already taught me some basics, and he says that in about a year, I can start using an actual sword!" As he said this, he didn't seem to notice the girl simply looking at him, a small smile on her lips._

"_That's great!" she finally said, as she giggled a bit. "You'll be just as good as the Pirate Hunter in no time!"_

KC blinked, as he looked back up at Krystal, who was still aiming her bow and arrow at him. "You will have to fight." she finally said, just as she let another arrow fly, which KC ducked underneath. "Otherwise, you'll end up dead. And no man would wish for that fate upon him."

KC growled, just as he swiped the sword in the air out of frustration. "Stop it! You're not supposed to say things like that, Krystal!" he yelled, as he closed his eyes, trying to hide the fact that he was on the verge of tears. "Don't let Dokusai do this to you! You're not some mindless puppet he can spout his crap from! You're supposed to be cheerful and positive!"

"_My god, what happened to you?!" a young girl said in disbelief, as she was looking at a young boy, who had several injuries on his entire body, including a nasty-looking cut on his left arm. "Did Sean do this to you?"_

"_Well, he did…" the boy began, as he winced in pain, holding the wound on his arm. "…but I'll admit, I encouraged him to go all-out."_

"_Why did you do that?" the girl said in disbelief, just as she knocked the boy on the head. "Stupid, that's what you are…" she muttered, just as she took some bandages, a bottle and some cotton pieces out from a drawer. "You could get yourself killed, being reckless like that!"_

"_Hey, I gotta take risks." the boy said, just as the girl began cleaning his wounds, prompting a pained hiss from him. "If I can't take injuries like this, how am I supposed to be as good as the Pirate Hunter?"_

"_I thought you were only going to be as good as him when it came to sword fighting…" the girl sighed, as she wrapped some bandages around the boy's arm. "Guys and their tendencies to act so macho… I just don't get it." Then, as the boy winced again, she giggled a bit. "Just don't be too full of yourself, and I'll be pleased."_

"If Dokusai calls me a puppet, then so be it." Krystal responded, as she released yet another arrow, which KC had the incentive to roll away from, before it could explode where he had once stood. "I am a servant to his will, and thus it shall be. A measly insect like you could never tell me otherwise."

As she drew another multiplying arrow, however, KC suddenly drew his second falcata, just before Krystal released another volley, which KC was quick to entrap in a wave of ice. "Krystal, please, listen to me! I'm not your enemy!" However, Krystal chose to reply to that by sending an exploding arrow flying right into the structure of ice, sending icicle shards flying in KC's direction, but a swift swing of a heated-up falcata melted what icicles would have struck him. "Look, Krystal, I really don't want to fight you! Please, put down your bow!"

For some reason, just as he said this, Krystal actually dropped her bow, but with an honestly surprised look on her face once she realized what she did. "What… why did I just do that?" she uttered, as she looked down at the bow lying on the floor before her. "Lord Dokusai didn't make me do it… so why did I…?"

As KC saw this, he quickly wiped his eyes, before he began approaching Krystal, who was still looking down at the bow. "Krystal… you're not some slave who some guy can just order around." he said, as he placed his swords on his back. "You're a part of the crew, remember? But, more than anything…"

Soon, he was face-to-face with Krystal, who finally looked away from her bow, her gaze shifting over to KC. "…more than…?" she uttered, as she noticed KC being rather timid.

"K-Krystal…" he began, as he fidgeted a bit, looking down at the floor. "I… I haven't really been able to speak my mind on this…" As he spoke, he felt that his heart was slowly starting to beat faster and faster. "But… I just want you to know that even though we're friends… I'd like to be something more than that."

Krystal blinked, as KC continued to fidget nervously before her. "Something more…?" she uttered, when suddenly, KC grabbed her in a tight hug, taking her further by surprise. "What are you-"

"Krystal… I love you."

Those four words seemed to have some effect on her, as she felt the grip Dokusai held on her mind loosen quite a bit, and soon, she found herself partly returning the hug with her left arm. "K…C…" she uttered, as she closed her eyes.

"Krystal…" KC uttered as well, as he closed his eyes as well. At this moment, nothing could seem to tear them apart from one another…

…until he felt something stab his back. His eyes widened in shock and horror, especially when he took a look over at Krystal, who now had opened her eyes. "KC…" she uttered, as she removed her right arm away from KC, as she had stabbed him in the back with an arrow. Then, she quickly gave him a push, which sent him staggering away from her, letting her pick up her bow.

"Krystal…" he uttered, as he coughed up both blood and some green mist, just as he fell to his knees. _Shit… that gas is still in effect?! But… I can't let her-_ he thought, but they were suddenly broken when Krystal shot an exploding arrow in his direction, the force of the explosion propelling him further back. However, that didn't stop Krystal from peppering him with arrow after arrow, and with the paralysis gas in full effect, KC had practically no means of avoiding the blows.

"_Hey, check this out!" a boy said in a giddy tone, as he was holding a sword before a girl, and suddenly, the blade of the sword glowed a bright red, startling the girl somewhat._

"_Wow… so that's what the fruit granted you?" she said in awe, before the blade shifted its color from red to blue._

"_Yep! Sean told me that I can use it to channel fire and ice through any sword I hold!" he said, before the color in the blade faded away. "Pretty neat, don't you think?" he said with a laugh._

"_I guess so." the girl replied with a giggle. "Too bad you can't swim any longer… well, I'll just have to make sure that you don't fall in the water!"_

The images sped through KC's mind just about every time an explosion blew him away from Krystal, but even being half-conscious, he could clearly see that even when she was shooting at him, Krystal was actually crying, though it didn't deter her aiming at all. "Krystal…"

"_The Magic Swordsman?" a small girl said with a curious look, as a boy around her age was looking very excited._

"_Yeah! Sean and Dan told me about it! That's what everyone in town has begun calling me after I fended off those pirates attacking last week!" he said, as he threw his fists into the air. "This rocks! I'm getting a name made for myself, just like I hoped!"_

"_Hmm…" the girl hummed, as she looked up into the sky. "I don't know. It sounds a little pretentious, wouldn't you say? Almost like an epithet for a wanted poster." she said, which got her the boy's attention._

"_Nah, I think it sounds cool! Besides, what are the odds of me becoming a pirate?" he said, as the girl giggled._

"_I guess you're right about that…" the girl said, as she looked away from the boy. "But if you did become one, I wouldn't mind becoming one, either."_

After what seemed like eternity, Krystal finally stopped shooting at KC, and as she began breathing heavily, she dropped her bow again, looking at his charred body lying motionless on the floor. "KC…" she uttered, without bothering to wipe away the tears on her face.

However, after a while, KC got up on his feet, though his attempts at standing were rather feeble. Despite this, he actually drew out Zanmato from its sheath, before clutching it between his teeth. Naturally, Krystal was surprised. "Why… why do you not just give up?" she said, her voice unnaturally distraught, something even she found disturbing.

However, KC didn't reply to her, as he now drew both of his falcatas, which suddenly blinked a bright, yellow color, along with Zanmato, the sudden surge of light forcing Krystal to shield her eyes. When she looked back at him, however, she saw that all the blades on the three swords were slowly blinking that same, yellow color, actually in time with his own heartbeat. "KC…?" she uttered, but that sound actually made KC start running towards her.

In a panic, she suddenly picked up the bow, before pulling out a multiplying arrow, just as she released the arrows at KC, but he kept on running, despite all of them exploding around him. Strangely, the blades were now blinking yellow faster and faster, and for every arrow that would have struck him, he swung the blades at the air, which sent what seemed to be a wave of light hurtling at the arrows, causing them to detonate before they even hit the ground.

Despite Krystal's assault, KC managed to approach her without any major problems, but instead of attacking her, he dropped both his falcatas, just as Zanmato's blade shone a brilliant light, that nearly blinded Krystal. But before she could see through the blinding light, KC suddenly grabbed both of her wrists, and suddenly, all the light gathered in Zanmato disappeared, just as Krystal felt something incredibly painful go through her body, but at the same time, the feeling was soothing. Then, everything around them faded to white.

"_I'll practice with sticks and twigs. A friend of mine, Sean, knows how to handle swords, so he's going to help me practice. And I'm not going to stop until I become as great with swords as the Pirate Hunter!"_

_The girl blinked, before giving out a sigh, closing her eyes, as her lips curled up into a smile. Then, she sat down next to the boy, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Then I'll help you. Things like that are easier with more than one, right?" The boy didn't reply, but in all honesty, there was no need for replies__…_ _well, save for one from the girl. "By the way, I never asked you about your name? What was it, again?" she said, as she looked up at him._

_The boy blinked, as he looked at the girl from the corner of his eye. "The name's KC Boom. And you?" he said, just as the girl looked away from him._

"_I'm Krystal Gem." she said, before she closed her eyes. "I wish us the best of luck, KC."_

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"Damn… another one." Dokusai muttered, as he held his head in pain once more. "Your crew is very adept at breaking my hold on them, Kiyasui…" he sighed, just as he looked down on a bloodied body lying at his feet, the blades on them covered in blood. "They must be quite strong… unlike you."

Nampu coughed, as he looked weakly up at Dokusai. "Don't think… that you've won just yet." he spat, as Dokusai merely chuckled at this.

"Oh, but I have… so to speak." he replied, as he gave Nampu a good kick in his stomach, the blades on his feet digging further into Nampu's body. "I've crushed you underneath my soles, and I'll have my slaves do the same to your crewmates. And to think, we could have all avoided this, if your kind of pirates weren't so 'attached to your crewmembers'…" Then, he began laughing, as he continued kicking Nampu's gut. "You'll set the perfect example as to why no one should question my supremacy!"

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**A/N: **Gah, this chapter was a royal pain. The irony is astounding, since this fight was one of my main reasons for beginning this arc in the first place. Next one should most definitely come out sooner, so massive, immense apologies for the intense delay! Until next time, people!

**YolkaEd**


	55. A Battle amongst Crewmates part 5

In the plaza, things were beginning to cool down. After having basically the entirety of Dokusai's army flushed away by the torrent of water coming from the castle, the only ones who were even conscious enough to see Morte, Akira and Vraspos were Tenpan and Aven. However, of those two, only Tenpan was eager to fight the trio; not to mention that she was the only one in melee-range of them. "Do you honestly think that this setback will stop us from killing you, Manigordo?!" she yelled, as she had re-acquired her baton after Aven had launched it to them.

However, despite her threats, Morte and Vraspos didn't seem to mind her, as Vraspos only looked stoically towards the castle, whilst Morte conversed with Akira, the only one who seemed threatened by Tenpan. "You know, I didn't need to be saved." he said, without even bothering to look in Tenpan's direction. "I don't need a worse track record than I already have, after what happened on Atsumari…"

"W-well…" Akira gulped, as he saw just how maddened Tenpan was getting at being ignored by Morte. "W-we did it mostly because if her weapon had made contact with the water, we'd all be dead."

"Oh, would we now?" Morte replied, as he looked down at the plaza, still avoiding any contact with Tenpan. "Hmm… well, now that you mention it, I do see the fatality-prospect there. Vraspos thought of it, didn't he?"

"HEY! Don't tell me that you're ignoring me?!" Tenpan suddenly yelled, though Morte was still not looking in her direction. "You got some gall… just wait until I deliver you to my lord! Then we'll see who ignores who!" she said, just as her baton began emitting electricity again, before she rushed at the group, aiming to strike Morte.

Just then, however, a back-hand chop to her neck delivered by Vraspos resulted in her being knocked out. "Morte is currently not aware that you're even trying to speak to him, weakling." he spat, before he looked over at Morte. "So, what should our next course of action be?"

At that point, Morte chuckled. "What else? We wait for the Orthopedic to show up, and we exact revenge for the Atsumari incident. Who knows? Maybe we can draft Akira's sister into joining us?"

As Morte said that, Akira scratched the back of his head, laughing weakly. "That seems highly unlikely… but if you could do that, I'd be more grateful to you than ever before, Morte."

Morte scoffed upon hearing that, as he crossed his arms. "This time, there won't be any Revolutionaries there to save them. Their bounties will be ours!"

Meanwhile, down in the flushed plaza, Aven was trying to wake Leona up. "Come on… you probably got the least amount of pain out of all the Veldheers." she said with a smirk, as she continued shaking the smaller girl. However, what she, and anyone else in the vicinity failed to see, was a small figure peeking out from behind a corner, before suddenly vanishing further into the town.

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**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Battle amongst Crewmates part 5**

**The Storm's True Mettle**

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Slowly, Krystal regained consciousness. Opening her eyes, she found herself lying face-down on the floor of the room where she had fought KC. Then, it suddenly dawned on her; she had, mercilessly to boot, battled KC. "KC?" she said in a distressed voice, just as she slowly got in a sitting position, images from their fight flashing in her mind. "Oh god… what have I done?" she uttered, as she held her hands over her head, her eyes becoming watery upon merely thinking of the damage she had caused KC, especially after his confession to her.

A sudden cough broke her mind out of her breakdown, as she looked towards the source of the sound, only to see a charred, bleeding KC lying face-up on the floor, a good distance away from her, Zanmato still clutched between his teeth, and his falcatas lying beside him.. Without a second thought, she tried getting up to run towards KC, but finding that her legs were paralyzed, she was forced to crawl towards him.

"KC!" she exclaimed, just as she got as close to him as possible. "KC… thank god, you're alive!" she said, just as she grabbed the handle of Zanmato, but before she could even get a chance to pull it out of KC's mouth, his hand suddenly grabbed hold of her wrist.

"K…Krystal…" KC groaned, as he began heaving for air, just as he slowly pushed Krystal's hand upwards, letting her carry the katana out of his mouth. "You… you're free from his control…" he uttered, as he noticed Krystal beginning to sob.

"I… I'm so sorry!" she suddenly exclaimed, as she dropped Zanmato close-by KC's body, before quickly pulling him up into a hug, just as she began sobbing into his shoulder. "I didn't want to harm you, but… I was forced to! And I… I could hear everything you said during the fight, and… KC, please forgive me!"

KC blinked, as he returned the hug as best he could; for some reason, he felt that moving his arms was incredibly painful. "Don't cry over things like that, Krystal… you had no control. Dokusai's the one to blame, not you or anyone else." Then, as they sat in that hugging position for a few moments, something dawned on him. "Wait… you heard everything? Including…"

"Y-yeah." Krystal replied, as they broke apart from the hug, both of them beginning to blush. "And, well… the truth is…" Krystal began, as she felt her heart beginning to beat faster and faster with every word she spoke. "KC… I… I-" Before she could continue, KC weakly, but gently, pressed his finger against her lips.

"Don't say anything. I know what it is that you're going to say." he whispered, as his heart began beating faster as well. Then, both of them lowered their eyelids slightly, as they moved their heads closer to one another. "And… I couldn't be happier about it, Krystal." Now, their hearts were practically beating in unison, and as their lips moved closer and closer to one another, nothing could seem to tear this moment apart.

However, the sound of an explosion did just that, as both KC and Krystal looked towards the source of said explosion, their minds temporarily taken away from themselves. As it turned out, those responsible for that explosion was Zugai's group, as he, Ryozo and Jin quickly rushed towards the opposite wall, none of them even bothering to acknowledge either KC or Krystal.

Some who did acknowledge them, however, were Chris, Maria and Omega, as the three of them approached the two teenagers, Omega holding both Shin and Craigmirra's bodies on his shoulders. "KC Boom and Krystal Gem. They no longer seem to be in conflict." he said in a blunt tone.

"Yeah, great observation, Omega." Chris said in a sarcastic tone, as she and Maria were quick to help up both KC and Krystal to their feet. "What really matters now is to get these two out of here; as much as I hate to say it, if Dokusai's behind that wall, then we girls aren't gonna be much help."

Maria nodded, as she looked over at Zugai, Jin and Ryozo, all of them landing blow after blow on the wall, each of them trying to tear it down with their powers. "…will it be alright with just the four of them?" she asked, as she looked at Chris with a concerned look.

"They'll manage." Chris said with a wave of her hand, as she and Krystal suddenly grabbed hold of KC, who was about to collapse on his knees. "Sure, they're most likely not the Monster Trio of the Straw-Hats, but they can hold their own against some old pig like Dokusai." Then, she looked up at Omega, who was also looking in Zugai and company's direction. "Hey, big guy! I hope we can trust you with helping out our crewmates over there?"

Omega raised an eyebrow upon hearing that. "I… assume so… but will not Maria join the fight against Dokusai?" he asked, looking at the fishwoman. "Of the women in your crew, she is the only one who is immune to his powers."

After he finished his question, Maria looked over at Chris uncertainly, but Chris simply shrugged. "What would you rather bring to a fight; a fishwoman with a large nunchuck, or what is essentially a walking weapon? Besides, I'm gonna need help getting Shin and Craigmirra back to the Moon." she said, before looking over at Maria with a grin. "You can help with that, right?"

It took her a while to assess the situation, but eventually, Maria nodded in approval. "I'll… I'll help out with whatever you need!" she said in a slightly determined tone, but it came off as sounding a bit uncertain, even though she tried putting on a tough look.

"Just what I wanted to hear." Chris said in a playful tone, before she looked towards Krystal and KC. "You two can follow us, right?"

Krystal looked towards the weakened KC for a brief moment, before she looked back at Chris with a determined look. "We'll manage, Chris."

Nodding to this statement, Chris turned her gaze back towards Omega. "So, we'll take care of those two, if you don't mind?" she said, motioning to Shin and Craigmirra, who were still slouched over Omega's shoulders.

Seeing the determined looks on their faces, Omega didn't hesitate in the slightest in handing the two girls he held to Maria and Chris, Maria holding Shin in her arms, and Chris, ironically enough, holding Craigmirra on her left shoulder, where she had stabbed herself to break out of Dokusai's spell. "You'll be alright?" he asked, looking a bit concerned.

Chris merely nodded, before giving Omega a thumbs-up. "Just make sure to kick Dokusai's ass extra hard for us, okay?" she said, before she began running towards the hole in the wall. "We'll see you back outside!" she shouted, just as Maria ran after her, still holding on to Shin.

As they ran off, Krystal began following them, though as she supported KC by holding his arm over her shoulders, she was moving considerably slower than the other girls, something Omega noted. "You are sure that you do not require assistance?" Omega inquired, which led to Krystal looking back at the cyborg.

"I already told Chris that we'd manage." she replied, smiling optimistically as usual. "You guys go on and get Nampu out of there, okay?" As she said this, she looked away from Omega, continuing her and KC's trek to follow Chris and Maria. However, as Omega turned away from her to follow Zugai's group, she was quick to give KC a nudge. "Hey… KC?"

KC blinked once he heard his name being said, but just as he looked towards Krystal, she was quick to give him a peck right on his lips, too brief for anyone but them to notice it, but long enough for KC to realize what she just did. "Once this is all done…" Krystal began, still looking at KC with a smile. "…we can continue from where we were interrupted."

Upon hearing this, KC suddenly went from mildly confused to very enthused, just as he picked up the pace, soon making it look like he was the one supporting Krystal. "I'll hold you to that, then!" he said in a cheerful, energetic tone, as the two soon vanished from view, both well on their way after Chris, Maria, Shin and Craigmirra.

Meanwhile, Omega had gotten to the wall where Zugai, Jin and Ryozo were still attacking it, and the fruits of their struggle really showed; a good portion of the wall had been ground to dust, which, while not enough to tear fully through it, had gotten through half the wall. "Do you require assistance?" Omega spoke up, just as his hands turned into rocket launchers.

Then, before Zugai, Jin and Ryozo could move out of the way, Omega had aimed a blast right at where the most damage to the wall had gone, the ensuing explosion tearing a hole in the wall. "Well… thanks, that went quicker than we planned for!" Ryozo said, just as the three got ready to run through the hole, but for some reason, Omega restrained them before they could do so. "Hey, what's the big idea?"

"The situation in there would only get worse if you rushed in head-long." Omega said, as his eyes glinted with a red gleam, indicating that he was scanning through the thick smoke that billowed from the hole. When it cleared out, the group was treated to a sight they did not want to see; Nampu lying face-down on the floor, a pool of his own blood surrounding him, and a man standing over him, wearing blades on his feet that were covered in the crimson-colored liquid.

Of course, upon seeing that man, Zugai's eyes opened in shock. "Shieki?" he said in disbelief, just as the man noticed the group standing right outside the wall. "You… what are you doing to my crewmate?!"

"Ah, Hibiware." Shieki said in a neutral tone, as he even smirked a bit. "You arrived just in time. I was about to show you why no one here can question my supremacy, with this pirate as the perfect example." Then, he suddenly kicked his left foot into Nampu again, causing him to yell out in pain, though it was slightly dulled this time around.

Of course, Zugai was enraged at seeing his friend and crewmate being tortured like that, but Omega stopped him from getting into the room to stop Shieki. "Omega… let me past. I've got to stop him!"

"I cannot comply with your wish." Omega retorted, without taking his eyes off Shieki. "If you run in there, you risk Nampu Kiyasui's life. And knowing this man, he is likely to finish him off the moment you set foot in that room."

Hearing that, Shieki laughed. "Someone has done their homework, it seems!" he said, as he pointed the blades on his right foot down at Nampu. "If you value the life of him, I strongly advise you to leave my island, and never return."

Just then, Jin cleared his throat, as he stepped forward, but not past Omega. "Pardon me for bursting your bubble… but you wouldn't happen to know a certain Count Megtapos?" As he said this, everyone but Omega and Nampu looked at Jin with puzzled looks.

"Count…" Shieki began, before he suddenly laughed. "Why, yes! Megtapos, that sorry excuse for a leader! I heard he died some time ago. Good riddance, I say; it leaves room open for someone more competent than him."

With that, Jin snapped his fingers, as he looked at Shieki with a smirk. "Thanks. Now I know who you really are." Again, he got puzzled looks from everyone present. "While I hated working under Megtapos, it at least gave me some insight in who is running the show." Then, he pointed at Shieki with a triumphant grin. "You're Shieki Dokusai, the leader of the West Blue section of the Family, if I'm not mistaken?"

Everyone who had looked at Jin with a puzzled look soon grew a shocked one, Dokusai most of all. However, as soon as the shocked look on his face became prominent, it faded away, before he began laughing. "You're fairly perceptive… Namura, wasn't it? The Water Lord." Then, he turned away from Nampu's body, before mock-bowing to the group. "But what you said is the truth. I am Shieki Dokusai, head of the Dokusai Family."

Ryozo blinked, as he looked from Jin to Dokusai, then back to Jin again. "Wait… how did you know that, anyway?" he asked, as Jin scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I used to work under Count Megtapos to get a map to the Grand Line. The reason I know of Dokusai is because the count was incredibly jealous of how successful Dokusai was as a Family leader." Jin said, but before he could continue, Dokusai began clapping slowly, throwing him off.

"Bravo; you managed to con a dead failure." Dokusai began in a dry tone, before inspecting the group. "…I see. You were clever enough to leave the women who broke free away from me. That way, I lose my chance to turn them back into my slaves."

"Why?" Zugai suddenly spoke up, as he glared daggers at Dokusai, his gloved hand clenching into a fist. "Why would you rob someone of their free will like that?"

Dokusai chuckled, as he pressed his sunglasses up against the bridge of his nose. "It may not be obvious, from the looks of it…" he began, taking an artistic pause. "…but I intend to create the largest, most loyal army ever known to man. After all, some men cannot bring himself to harm a female, but under my jurisdiction, women will not have such petty qualms."

Omega raised an eyebrow, as he still made sure that Zugai, Jin and Ryozo couldn't get past him. "Why an army?" he asked. "Do you intend to bring down the World Government?"

Dokusai laughed upon hearing that. "Do not take me for someone with such unrealistic goals!" he said, before he regained his composure. "You may not know this, but as leaders of the Family, the World Government can only hold us under watch. For we have someone with us who has a certain authority there…" Then, he gave a shrug, as he turned back to Nampu's body. "Now, I have no time for you cretins; I have arranged for a meeting between the leaders of the Family, to discuss the lack of a leader in the East Blue division."

"What makes you think we'll let you run off and do as you please?" Zugai suddenly said, which made Dokusai look towards him with a small scowl. "All the women you've enslaved on this island… we're gonna free them, and make sure that you can't repeat what you've done!"

Hearing that, Dokusai chuckled, as he turned back to Zugai. "Do you not know who you're talking to, Hibiware? The moment I feel my life to be threatened by you, I give the call, and my entire army will be here to vanquish you. After all, I'm sure fighting both my elite and your own crewmates must have tired you very much."

Just then, they could hear something being smashed, and what had once been a confident smirk on Dokusai's face turned into that of a silent howl of pain. As it turned out, what appeared to be an iron pipe had been slammed right up Dokusai's groin, which naturally caused the criminal a great amount of pain. "Don't you ever… shut up?" the pained voice of Nampu said, as it became blatantly obvious that it was Nampu that had taken the cheap shot to Dokusai, despite the former's horrible injuries.

As Dokusai collapsed to his knees in pain, Nampu nearly doubled over, but jabbing the pipe into the ground, he kept his balance. "Gah… but how…?" Dokusai groaned, as he looked at Nampu, who now could barely stand straight. Upon seeing this, Zugai tried pushing past Omega, when…

"Stay out of it, Zugai!" Nampu suddenly coughed, stopping his captain in place. "This… is my fight…" he spat, looking down at Dokusai. "Now… get up."

Dokusai growled, as he stepped up from the ground again, glaring at Nampu. "Damn brat!" he suddenly yelled, before delivering a piercing kick in Nampu's direction, but it was easily avoided. "Tsch…"

"Yeah, my crewmates are stronger than me…" Nampu coughed, as he looked over at Zugai and the others. "…I can't make swords out of stone… I'm not a fishman… I'm not that quick… I can't throw pink bubbles… the best sharp tool I can use is a shard of glass… I can't control water… I'm not too good at arching… I can't swordfight to save my life… and I sure as hell can't control bones."

Dokusai lifted an eyebrow upon hearing this, before he tried kicking Nampu again, but he missed this time too. "Damn… you just admitted that you're practically useless! How do you expect to survive on the Grand Line if all you can do is swing a pipe around? What exactly can you do, Kiyasui?!" he yelled, before trying to slash Nampu's abdomen, but Nampu merely ducked underneath the slash, before he began running towards Dokusai.

"I can at least beat you!" Nampu yelled, before he reeled his fist backwards, before Dokusai could retaliate. "Hade Straight!" Then, he suddenly punched Dokusai squarely in the face, the punch actually cracking open Dokusai's sunglasses. "Hade Hook!" Then, before he could retaliate, Nampu suddenly threw a hook at Dokusai, forcing him to stagger back just a bit. "Hade Jab Spree!" Then, rushing at Dokusai again, Nampu proceeded to throw punch after punch at Dokusai with all his might, which wasn't all that much, but enough to keep Dokusai from attacking back.

"Gah!" After a while, Dokusai leapt away from Nampu, before he threw his broken sunglasses away. "Damn you… how can you even keep on standing like that?!" he yelled, before rushing at Nampu again, but this time, Nampu didn't bother to move. "DIE!!!"

"Hade Cross-Counter!" Nampu shouted, just as Dokusai sent a stabbing kick his way; this time, the blades went through his left side, but just as that happened, Nampu threw a punch aimed at Dokusai's face, striking home. However, as Dokusai staggered back, Nampu nearly toppled over, the loss of blood getting to him.

"Shit…" Ryozo uttered, as he could tell that even if Nampu could throw a punch, he was horribly outmatched against Dokusai. "Nampu's not gonna make it through with wounds like those. I'm tempted to just get out there and give him a hand."

"That's not going to sit well with Nampu…" Zugai sighed, as he folded his arms, watching the fight unfold slowly towards Dokusai's favor. "He's determined to see the fight through, even if it kills him. If he doesn't deliver the finishing blow, then I can't imagine how much he'd complain about it… if he gets out of it alive, that is."

At this point, Omega was only watching the fight go on, but suddenly, something dawned on him, and his circuits quickly formulated a plan. "He only has to deliver the finishing blow?" he said, before he turned to face the pirates behind him. "If that is the case, then I have formulated a strategy we can use to ensure that it happens."

Meanwhile, Dokusai quickly recovered from Nampu's cross-counter, before he rushed at Nampu again, slashing his left foot at Nampu diagonally, ripping part of his shirt and spilling more blood on the floor. "Will you just not give up?!" he yelled, as Nampu collapsed to his knees, but still looked like he could keep up the fight.

"What…" Nampu coughed in response, as he got back on his feet, albeit slowly. "…and admit that… I can't beat some old perv?" he said, looking at Dokusai with a dulled, but cocky expression, which agitated his opponent more. "This is different… from back then."

Dokusai gritted his teeth, before stretching his arms out. "Bore me not with any brooding, and just accept your death!" Then, he began doing a series of cartwheel turns, aiming to strike Nampu with a wheel of sharp blades.

"Back then…" Nampu coughed, as he began losing feeling of his legs, though he remained standing. "…I was responsible for something I still can't forgive myself for letting happen… all because I didn't have the power to stand up for myself. But now…" Then, he clenched his fists together, as he prepared for Dokusai to reach him. "…I'm gonna prove it otherwise, even if it kills me!"

However, just as Nampu finished saying that, a large jet of water suddenly shot Dokusai away from his intended path, towards the window. Of course, Dokusai was startled by this, which was evident when he got up on his feet again, having a confused scowl on his face. "Who did that?!"

However, before his question could be answered, his feet were suddenly swallowed by the floor, as a formation of rocks engulfed them, preventing him from moving. However, Nampu knew far too well who were responsible for that, and, as was evident by his face, he wasn't too pleased. "What did I say about…" he began, before he coughed up some blood, but just before he collapsed on the floor, he was hoisted back on his feet by Zugai and Omega.

"Hey, we couldn't exactly stand about and watch you get turned into shish kebab, you know." Ryozo said, as he walked past Nampu, Omega and Zugai, his focus devoted to the rocks keeping Dokusai's feet locked in place. "And as your doctor, I know that being turned into shish kebab isn't something you can slap a band-aid on."

"Besides, we all want a piece of Dokusai, you know." Jin continued, as he walked up to Nampu, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Hell, if it wasn't so risky, the girls would probably have joined in to kick his ass as well!"

"But listen, Nampu…" Zugai said, as he took hold of Honehakaisha, before looking at Dokusai, who was still struggling to break free. "If you really want to finish that guy off, then we're not going to stop you." Then, he stepped away from Nampu, just as Ryozo and Jin cleared the way so that there was nothing between Nampu and Dokusai. "Rather, we're gonna help you! Omega, now!"

With a nod, Omega suddenly grabbed hold of Nampu, before throwing him into the air, quickly followed by him moving out of the way when Nampu began his descent, feet-first. "H-hey, what're you doing?!"

"Just a little something I like to call…" Zugai began, just as he slammed Honehakaisha's edge on the floor, keeping his eyes on Nampu. Then, when Nampu got to a certain height, Zugai swung the flat side of the massive labrys at Nampu, so his feet landed on it. "Honehakaisha Nakama Torpedo: Hade Finisher Shot!" Then, without warning, Zugai swung the axe at such a speed that Nampu was launched towards Dokusai.

However, instead of yelling in fear of being catapulted like this, Nampu instantly realized what Zugai had planned, and with a slight smirk, he reeled his fist back, preparing to deliver the finishing blow to Dokusai. "Get ready for pain!" he said, as Dokusai obviously grew distressed from seeing this.

"No! Get these rocks off my feet!" he pleaded desperately, but he had no such luck there; his feet remained stuck until Nampu was right in front of him, and with the added velocity from Zugai launching him, the punch that Nampu threw at Dokusai's face got so much momentum that once the impact kicked in, you could hear Dokusai's skull cracking, and after a brief moment, Dokusai himself was propelled backwards from the immense force of this attack, sending him flying right out of the window, and leaving Nampu to crash on the floor, skidding to a halt before the now-shattered window.

To everyone who could see this now, they would see Dokusai be propelled all the way to the shore, a fair distance away from the Howling Moon. The moment his body made contact with the ground, every single girl who was still under his control suffered what appeared to be a migraine, even the unconscious ones. However, this migraine was more or less a result of Dokusai losing what control he had over them, shattering the perceptions he had planted into them. In short, Dokusai had suffered the perfect defeat.

As Nampu heaved for his breath, lying halfway beaten to death before the window, and yet successful in bringing down a villain of such caliber, he couldn't help but smile a bit. "…well, Zugai…" he coughed, as Zugai, Omega, Jin and Ryozo surrounded him, before the cyborg picked him up. "…as much as I don't want to admit it… thanks for helping me."

Zugai simply smiled, as the group began making their way to one of the three staircases that had brought them to this chamber in the first place. "Don't worry about it, Nampu. I'm not gonna add it to your tab, or anything, if that's what you think." he said, and with a slight nod of approval, Nampu closed his eyes, falling asleep, exhausted from the grueling battle.

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On the shore where Dokusai had landed, he was striving to keep away from falling unconscious. "Damn… why didn't I just send for help…?" he uttered, as he simply lied on the shore, unable to move. "Shit… and after all those years I spent building up that army… an invincible force, to be sure!"

"And just what did you say your force would have been?" he heard a child's voice say, and as he threw a glance at where the sound had come from, he found it to be a small boy; the same boy that had told Zugai of what Ketsuwoo Island was, along with getting Zugai mixed up with Wana. "Go on, I won't harm you." the boy added, as he approached Dokusai, just as some silvery liquid began running down his body, as if his entire body structure was melting.

"…you…" Dokusai coughed, as the boy only got closer, while at the same time changing into someone else. "…heh. Now I get it. Megtapos always talked of how someone would make him greater than me, and judging from the pictures of his corpse… no doubt about it." he said with a smirk. "You're the one that killed Count Megtapos, aren't you… 'Steel Scythe', Etels Tyches?"

Soon, the boy had fully changed into a grown man, with his trademark black ponytail stretching all the way to the bottom of his black cloak, which still covered most of his body. "Awfully perceptive of you, Dokusai." he said, just as his left arm turned into what looked like the blade of a scythe. "Unfortunately for you, you will have to die as well." he added, before he raised the blade-arm over his head, as he sported a completely emotion-less look on his face. "Farewell."

Then, he suddenly slashed downwards, and Dokusai closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable impact to his body. However, it never happened. In curiosity, Dokusai opened his eyes, only to see Etels' blade arm being stabbed into the ground right next to him. However, what was shocking was that where the blade had pierced the ground, a perfect copy of Dokusai began forming, the blade now sticking out of his head. "What are you…?"

"Shut up, and move aside." Etels said, just as he reformed the blade arm into a regular arm, before he fished out a camera from his cloak. Within a few moments, Etels had photographed the copy of Dokusai several times. "There… and I also have photographs of the Cross Skull Pirates. My work here is done." he said, just as a pair of silvery wings sprouted from his back. "Oh, wait…" he said, before looking at the real Dokusai. "I need to know something from you."

Dokusai gulped a bit, trying to remain calm, but obviously, it didn't seem convincing. "And… and what would that be?"

Just then, a pair of tendrils shot out from underneath Etels' cloak, both of them grabbing hold of Dokusai's arms and legs. "Where the Family Council is held, of course." he said, as he suddenly took flight, carrying Dokusai with him. "You see, I'm interested in joining the group."

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**A/N: **Yeah, action-wise, this is the final chapter of the Dokusai saga, but the next chapter will be the actual end of it. Also, for those of you who have done your homework, as I've said, romance really isn't my thing to write, but nonetheless, I tried getting something like that across in this chapter with KC and Krystal! Whether it worked or not, I can't really say for sure, so you'll have to be the judges on that. So, what shall entail after this? Just make sure to remember to read and review, and I'll be seeing you for the next one!

**YolkaEd**


	56. Departure from Seisabetsu Island

"Can you two believe this?" On the first floor of Dokusai's castle, Tara, Shimasu and Zuki exited a room leading into the foyer, Zuki holding the tiger that Omega had knocked out earlier over her shoulders. "I mean, what did Felix ever do to those pirates?!" Tara said in an angered tone, as she cracked her knuckles. "I'll bet it was that perverted queer who did it; sounds just like something that guy would do!"

As Tara was growling in anger, Shimasu could only look at her with a dumbfounded look on her face. "You're _still _pissed off about that? Get over it; it's not like he was going to take advantage of you, or something." she said in a deadpan tone, which made Zuki giggle a bit.

"But what if he was going to take advantage of me?!" Tara suddenly shouted, before looking at Shimasu with an angry, yet silly expression on her face. "You never know with pirates like them! Why, the very thought of it is sending chills down my spine as we speak!"

"He… did say that he was gay, Tara." Shimasu groaned, as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Why would a gay guy suddenly try to molest a chick, rather than some other guy?" Then, she scoffed. "Face it; your perception of reality is broken because you couldn't use that perfume of yours to paralyze him."

Before Tara could reply back to Shimasu, Zuki suddenly heard something, before she pulled both of the others back into the room they just came from. "Danger…" she muttered, as the trio peeked out the door to see who would appear.

As it turned out, those who appeared were Chris carrying Craigmirra, Maria carrying Shin, and KC and Krystal supporting one another, all of them walking down the stairs, towards the front gate. "What the… why aren't the rookies upstairs?" Tara whispered in a baffled tone.

"You don't think…" Shimasu began, as she looked back at the two others. "…that they've rebelled against Lord Dokusai?"

"Impossible!" Tara whispered back. "No one has dared to do such a thing; after all, this is Lord Dokusai we're talking about. Why would anyone want to rebel against him?"

"Maybe you're right…" Shimasu said with a nod, before she looked back at the fleeing pirates. "They look like they've taken a beating. We ought to subdue the three of them, right now."

Tara and Zuki nodded to this, just as Tara pulled up three fingers. "On the count of three, we rush out there and give them all we've got. Ready?" she whispered, seeing that both Shimasu and Zuki gave a thumbs-up. "Alright… one, two, thr-" Before she could finish counting, all three of them got a simultaneous headache, which only lasted for a few seconds. However, when it stopped… "…whu? Where am I?"

Shimasu blinked, as she looked at Zuki and Tara with a baffled look. "Wait, who were you two again? Gah, my memory's a complete blur…"

"I don't think we should be worrying about that, right now…" Tara said with a shudder, as she looked at the room they were in. "We'd best get out of this place as quick as possible; then we can get things sorted out." The three girls nodded, before they entered the foyer, which was now empty; the pirates had just left the castle.

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Departure from Seisabetsu Island**

**The Tenth Crewmate, At Last!**

* * *

"I gotta hand it to him; he can be tough when he wants to be." At this moment, Zugai, Jin, Ryozo and Omega were walking down a flight of stairs, Zugai holding the sleeping Nampu in his arms. "Okay, maybe we helped out a bit, but he did finish off Dokusai… technically." Ryozo said, as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Y'know, I've noticed that we make quite the team." Jin shot in, as he wrapped his arms around Zugai's and Ryozo's necks, smiling brightly. "If we just put our mettle to it, we could probably overcome a Yonkou, don'tcha think?"

Zugai chuckled at this, though he didn't bother pushing Jin's arm away from him. "Nah, we're still a way off from having a chance against any Yonkou." he said, before looking at Nampu, who was snoring loudly. "For now, we'll have to wait until the Log sets itself on the next island. That should give us enough time to patch ourselves up."

As the three pirates continued to chat amongst themselves, Omega walked silently behind them, deep in thought. _It's still strange to think about it… _he thought, as he looked at Nampu's body for a moment. _Even faced against such immeasurable forces for his level, he refused to give up._ Then, he looked away from Nampu, as memories from his grueling fight with Dokusai flashed by his eyes.

"_Back then… I was responsible for something I still can't forgive myself for letting happen… all because I didn't have the power to stand up for myself. But now… I'm gonna prove it otherwise, even if it kills me!"_

_What kind of event would make him grow such a resolve? _Omega thought, as he shook his head; Nampu's determination reminded him of when he had defected from the Marines long ago. However, remembering that, he also remembered something Sorgan had told him back then…

"_There's a lot you don't know about this world, and there's stuff I'm sure no one knows about you… so when you meet someone you can associate yourself with, they'll understand how you work!"_

Omega didn't understand why he thought of it. He was done with assisting these pirates; Dokusai was defeated, and his control over the women of the crew was shattered. Omega really had nothing else to do with the pirates now. So why did he remember that statement?

Soon, the pirates reached the bottom of the stairs, entering the foyer, which was completely empty. "C'mon, the others are probably already at Howling Moon." Ryozo began, but before they moved forward, they saw someone enter from the front gate, this being Chris, who wasn't holding Craigmirra anymore. "Wha- Chris? What're you doing here?"

Chris, who was heaving for her breath, only pointed her thumb over her shoulder. "You guys… really need to check what's going on outside." she said, as she began a slow sort of laugh. Out of curiosity, the pirates approached the exit along with Chris, and what awaited them all was applause.

There, standing in front of the gate, were just about all of the members of Dokusai's army, each of them sporting some kind of injury, but not to the point where they couldn't stand up. However, not a single one of them seemed to have any intent on harming any of the guys; rather, they were cheering wildly, praising the pirates for having freed them. "Um… huh?" was all Zugai could utter upon seeing this.

In the front of the crowd, three women were more distinguishable from the crowd than anyone else; they were Veronica, Leona and Aven. "Ve can… honestly not dank you enough for… releasing us from our imprisonment, comrades." Veronica coughed; having the air knocked out of her by Ryozo was still hurting pretty bad for her.

"Leona is also grateful." Leona said, scratching the back of her head. "Dokusai had held us under his rule for months, and if not for you, Leona and her friends would have been so for much longer."

"On behalf of all of us here, I apologize for the trouble we made you go through…" Aven began, though she tried not looking in Zugai's direction for some reason. "And… thank you." she said, with a small smile on her face.

Of course, the pirates were flabbergasted by this; usually, pirates like themselves would be chased away for being pirates, so being thanked by such a large number of individuals wasn't exactly normal for them. "Well… no need to thank us, really." Zugai began. "We just didn't want Dokusai to mess with our crewmates, and nobody else for that matter." However, him saying that only made the women there cheer even harder.

"Alright, everyone, be quiet!" a male voice suddenly yelled, and sure enough, the women quickly stopped cheering. Then, pushing through the crowd were Morte, Akira and Vraspos, the latter carrying a knocked-out Tenpan on his shoulder. "Demon's Orthopedic… we meet again." Morte said with a neutral expression on his face.

Naturally, Zugai, Chris and Jin were quick to get in a defensive position, followed by Ryozo, who wasn't too sure on who Morte was. "Great… we beat Dokusai, and end up with more trouble…" Chris uttered. "Time for another fight, huh?"

However, Morte didn't attack them, as the pirates slowly realized. Rather, he was inspecting them, without moving from the spot he stood in. Both Akira and Vraspos looked at him with confused looks on their faces, wondering what took Morte so long to take action. "Well, Morte?"

Then, Morte suddenly scoffed. "Look at you. You look like hell." he said, before he turned away from them. "Getting your bounty at this point wouldn't satisfy my thirst for getting back at you for what happened on Atsumari… but mark my words, Demon's Orthopedic…" Then, he suddenly spun around, pointing his index finger at Zugai. "The next time we meet, I'll claim your bounty, so you'd better watch your back!" Then, turning away, he began walking through the crowd, followed by Vraspos.

Akira was about to follow them, but before he did, he tip-toed over to Zugai, before whispering into the pirate's ear. "Just between you and me, Morte was just being a little nice there." he said, before he followed the other bounty hunters. "Tell my sister I said hi!"

After the bounty hunters left, there was a quite awkward silence stemming through the crowd, and needless to say, the pirates found this silence more than a bit uncomfortable. "So…" Jin began, hoping to break this newly-formed ice. "…anyone know how long it takes for the log to set?"

As if on cue, many of the women began shouting wildly the answer to Jin's question; however, as they were yelling over one another, Jin couldn't make out what they were saying. However, after a while, the sound of a loud horn stopped the mindless chatter, as Aven had created an illusionary horn to project a sound that would stop the women from making fools of themselves. "Two days is how long it takes." she said, as the horn vanished into thin air. "I'm guessing it'll be long enough for your crewmates to recover from their injuries."

Veronica nodded, before she threw a glance at the women behind her. "Nov, I dink ve all have someding dat Dokusai has locked in his castle! Vhat say ve about looting de place?" she said out loud, followed by the women roaring triumphantly. "Alright! Pirates, if you could move aside for a moment, ve von't have to trample you!"

At that moment, the women all began rushing towards the castle, which prompted the pirates to go to the right side of the drawbridge, whereas Omega went to the left side, which prevented the two groups from seeing the other group when the women raced past them. However, when all the women had entered the castle, the pirates found that Omega had vanished, without a single trace. "Where'd he go?" Chris asked, as she scratched her head with her free arm.

"Maybe he went down to the Moon?" Ryozo inquired, before he and Jin began heading down to the town square again. "If we hurry, we might catch up with him!" he said, before Chris eventually decided to follow them. When Zugai got ready to follow them, however, he managed to catch a brief glimpse of the cyborg in the corner of his eye, heading away from the castle, in the completely opposite direction.

* * *

"Hey, why am I in bed, too?" Back at the Howling Moon, where Krystal already had gotten a newly-bandaged KC to bed, and Maria had attempted to wake up Shin, both Nampu and Chris had been bandaged by Ryozo and put in beds of their own; as Nampu's injuries were the most severe, he was placed in the infirmary, whilst KC and Chris had been placed in their respective bedrooms, Chris obviously not understanding why she had been put to bed.

"Y-you did go a bit overboard with stabbing yourself, didn't you?" Maria said, as she, Krystal, and a recently un-paralyzed Craigmirra were surrounding Chris in her bed. "Ryozo said something about the wound having a chance of being infected, so just for your own good, you'll have to rest for a while."

"But, come on! Zugai had a wound like that from my seastone dagger, and he can walk around fine!" Chris retorted, as she tried folding her arms, which was easier said than done, considering that her left arm was bandaged.

"Like she said; you stabbed yourself repeatedly in your own arm." Krystal said, before patting Chris' head. "Zugai only got stabbed once, so he just needs some bandages for a few days, and he'll be better."

"But man, I still can't believe that meany-face would do something like that; making us fight our friends!" Craigmirra said in a huff, her own arms folded. "I wish I could've given him a good beating, but Omega had to paralyze me for an hour, or so!"

"W-well, it was all with good intent, Craigmirra." Maria began, as she looked down at Maria. "I-if he hadn't done that, then Zugai and the others probably wouldn't have gotten a chance at beating Dokusai." Even after she said that, Craigmirra didn't stop pouting.

"Speaking of, where is that guy, anyway?" Chris asked, as she looked towards Maria. "We lost track of him back at Dokusai's castle, and he hasn't shown his face here, according to you guys.

Maria was about to voice her thoughts on Omega's whereabouts, when they heard a splash and a scream from outside. "I… think Jin woke Shin up." she said, as she, Krystal and Craigmirra exited the room, to see Jin looking at a soaking-wet, and positively enraged Shin.

"Hey, no need to be mad, or anything; this was the only way I could think of to wake ya." Jin said in defense, but Shin was, needless to say, still agitated.

"It doesn't excuse you from throwing a large water balloon at me!" she snapped back, before groaning. "Great, now my clothes are all wet…"

"I take it that Shin's awake?" the pirates would hear Zugai say, as he stepped out of the infirmary, rubbing the back of his head, which showed that he had his right shoulder bandaged, from the wound he had gotten from Chris earlier. "Nampu's still sleeping; according to Ryozo, he'll probably be asleep until we leave the island."

"But where did Ryozo go, then?" Krystal asked, as she grew a concerned look on her face. "He's got to tell us how long KC'll be knocked out, too." she added, still feeling a bit guilty for brutalizing KC during their involuntary fight.

Her question was answered, however, when they could hear Ryozo calling for them from the shoreline. "You guys have got to see this!" he yelled, which was more than enough for the pirates to jump on dry land, heading the doctor's way. What they saw, however, was a bit grotesque; Dokusai's body, with a hole piercing his skull, lying on the rocky parts of the shore. "He must've been flung all the way here from your and Nampu's combo, Zugai."

"But where did he get a hole in the head from?" Jin asked, tilting his head as he looked at the body lying before them. "Last time I checked, you can't get injuries like that from a punch."

"Hang on…" Zugai began, before he removed the glove from his left hand, exposing his skeletal one. With caution, he put the bony index finger to the gaping wound in Dokusai's head, letting some of the blood carry over to his finger, before he tasted the blood out of curiosity. "…this isn't blood."

"Yeah, I managed to figure that out, too." Ryozo said, as he knelt down by the body. "The 'blood' leaking from his head has a metallic taste to it, almost as if it's actual metal. Normal, human blood doesn't taste like that."

"Just wait a minute…" Zugai said again, before he placed his skeletal hand on Dokusai's head, but as he tugged on it, nothing happened. "He lacks a skeleton; there's literally nothing in here."

"Okay, I know my dead bodies…" Krystal began, as she looked down at the body. "…and bodies lacking skeletons and actual blood doesn't scream 'human corpse' to me, just so you know."

"So… y-you're saying that it's not him?" Maria asked, trying not to look at the body. "He could still be out there?"

"Dunno." Ryozo sighed, before he stood up. "But I don't think Dokusai was the one who made this body. It could be a cohort of his…"

"But what do we do with the body?" Craigmirra asked, as she was now poking it out of curiosity. "It's just going to rot and make people queasy if we leave it."

"We'll have to bury it, I guess." Zugai suggested, as he threw a glance at Ryozo, who also returned the glance at Zugai. "Ryozo, you can make something pretty quick, right?"

"Leave it to me, captain." Ryozo replied with a nod, before he dug his hands into the ground around the body, which suddenly caved in around it, leaving it to topple into the newly-made hole, which was covered by rock and stone. "There, all set and done."

"Then I guess it's time for breakfast?" Shin said, before she rubbed her arms in an attempt to warm herself. "I need to keep myself busy so I can forget about how I was woken up…"

"That sounds like a plan, now." Zugai nodded, before he began heading back to the Howling Moon. "Let's go, guys!" he said, just as the pirates followed him, none of them looking back at the mound of rock behind them.

* * *

The rest of the day, and the day after that, were fairly uneventful for the Cross Skull Pirates. Apart from conversing a bit with some of the women previously under Dokusai's control, and tending to Nampu, KC and Chris, they spent most of their time trying to find which island the Log would settle on, which was easier said than done. On the night of the second day, the Log would shift, but Aven had told Zugai that the women on the island that hadn't sailed off to their real homes yet would want to bid farewell to the pirates.

This night, all of the pirates were fast asleep, trying to conserve their energy until their departure in the morning. However, not everything was silent, as three characters snuck around the ship, though they didn't attempt to board it. "Alright, everyone here know what to do?" a voice whispered, and it was apparent that it was a woman talking.

"Yeah, I think I got it." a different girl said, as she folded her arms. "We get a boat, and high-tail it away from the island. That was basically what you told us to do… Tara, was it?"

Tara sighed, before she looked at the girl who had brought it up. "Look… Shimasu… my plan didn't involve 'high-tailing', as you called it. Rather, it involves 'tactical retreat'. I mean, have you seen some of the faces around here? Some of them are wanted! And frankly, I don't see a reason for us to hang around here any longer…"

"Yeah, like I said; 'high-tailing'." Shimasu replied, before she shook her head. "It doesn't even count as that; it's more or less running away like a complete sissy."

Before Tara could come with a reply to Shimasu's insulting, yet still accurate description of her plan, the third woman pointed towards a mound of rock a small distance away from the Howling Moon. "Trouble?" she said, her steel jaws clanging when she spoke.

"What are you talking about, Zuki?" Shimasu asked, as she looked at where the larger woman was pointing. However, both Tara and Shimasu would realize why Zuki was calling the mound trouble; it was moving. "…girls, I think we'd best hide."

With a nod, Zuki grabbed both Tara and Shimasu, before she ran towards a few rock formations left over from the fight between Ryozo and Veronica, as the trio hid amongst the rocks. Then, they saw something emerge from the mound of rocks, namely a hand, which frightened Tara, but she was fortunately not given an opportunity to scream, as Shimasu and Zuki blocked her mouth.

Then, the hand grabbed part of the land around it, before a human began emerging from the rocks, but even with the darkness making it hard to see, they could make out the basic features of this person; it had a very long ponytail, and appeared to be wearing a cloak that covered most of his body. However, the moment it got out of the ground, it looked towards the ship, before it suddenly sprouted two wings from its back, just as it flew off into the night sky.

"What… was that?" Shimasu uttered, as she and Zuki let go of Tara, both of them also transfixed on the being that flew away. "No, seriously, can anyone tell me what the hell that was?"

"I don't know…" Tara began, before she shuddered. "But I really didn't like the looks of that guy. We should probably high-ta- Er, I mean, perform our tactical retreat. Right, Zuki?" she said, before she looked at Zuki, who for some reason looked mortified. "Zuki?"

"Scythe…" was all Zuki could say, before she shook her head. Then, the group quickly vanished into the night.

* * *

The time had come for the Cross Skull Pirates to depart Seisabetsu Island, and to their surprise, practically everyone formerly in Dokusai's army had shown up to bid the pirates farewell, just as Aven had told Zugai. Various shouts of "Goodbye" and "See you soon" could be heard throughout the large crowd, as most of the pirate crew had gathered by the railing of the ivory ship, waving to the crowd. In fact, the only one absent was Nampu; KC was using his falcatas as crutches, and Chris had simply left her bed to see the show.

"So, you're really leaving now?" Aven asked, as she, Leona and Veronica were in the front once again. "It's a shame, though; you could have stayed a bit longer, if you'd want it."

"The offer's tempting, but I think most of us just want to get off the island now." Zugai said with a smile, as he was leaning on the railing. "We've got a long journey ahead of us, you see."

"Vell, just make sure not to be strangers!" Veronica said, as she held her hands on her hips. "If ve happen to meet again on de sea, you'd best not have forgotten about us!"

"I don't think we'll forget anything about this island for a good while." Chris said with a shrug, before she blinked. "Wait, where's the fourth girl again?" she asked, noticing that out of Dokusai's elite, only Haze wasn't present.

"It's the strangest thing, but Leona hasn't found any sign of Haze anywhere." Leona said, as she scratched the back of her head. "And the same goes for Tenpan, Tara, Shimasu and Zuki. Leona thinks that they may have gone to their homes, already."

"That is a shame…" KC sighed, as he remembered how Haze had simply vanished without a trace after their fight two days ago. "But if we do meet them again, we'll make sure to tell them that you said hi!"

With that, the Howling Moon was finally ready to sail on, as it got ready to sail underneath the bridge leading back to Ketsuwoo Island, seeing as the path the Log pointed itself at would lead under the bridge. However, before they sailed under it, the pirates noticed a lone person approaching the bridge, carrying something large on his back. Craigmirra was the first one to notice the character. "Hey, it's Omega!"

Sure enough, that was Omega, who for some reason carried a raft on his back. When he noticed the pirates sailing, he waved towards them. "You are leaving, Cross Skull Pirates. Allow me to wish you good luck on your journey, then."

"Good luck?" Jin repeated, as he looked at Omega with a tilted head. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean what the phrase 'good luck' usually means, namely hoping that you'll have a safe travel to your next destination." Omega said, before he began advancing towards the bridge.

"But where are you going?" Shin asked, as she looked at the raft Omega carried. "And what's that for?"

"This?" Omega began, as he looked at the raft he held. "This is a raft I have been building since the downfall of Dokusai. I presumed that I would return to Ketsuwoo and aid Sorgan Viggs in letting the island recuperate after the death of Mayor Wana."

"Yeah… I don't think so." Zugai suddenly said, before he placed one foot on the railing. "I think you'll be coming with us, Omega."

As expected, Omega was startled by those words, as he looked at Zugai with a look of disbelief on his face. "…I don't believe that I got that. What did you say, Hibiware?" Omega asked, which made the pirates laugh amongst themselves.

"I said that you're coming with us, Omega." Zugai repeated. "You're pretty powerful, and, truth be told, if you hadn't told us about Dokusai, we'd probably have a much smaller crew leaving this island."

Before Omega got a chance to reply to this, Krystal waggled her finger at him. "Sorry, but we decided upon it last night. So you'd best get ready to jump aboard now!"

"And even if you don't jump aboard, we'll still bring you onboard, whether you like it or not." Jin said with a slightly mischievous grin on his face.

"That's because…" Zugai began, before he smiled brightly. "We've accepted you as a part of our crew."

Omega blinked at this, not knowing exactly what to think. As the ship began passing underneath the bridge, leaving the pirates without any means of seeing him, he felt something wrong with his eyes, whilst at the same time remembering something…

"_I… I feel… strange." Omega uttered in his normal tone, but Viggs could soon see that the cyborg was genuinely crying, even with only his exo-skeletal face. "Viggs… what is happening with me?"_

_Viggs blinked upon seeing the cyborg weep, but simply patted Omega's back in response. "You're crying, Omega." he said, as the cyborg looked at him with a curious look. "It's this thing we humans do when we're saddened by something. I'm not sure about the specifics on it, but it just happens."_

"_So… it means that… I am sad?" Omega said, before he began rubbing his eyes, which was a bit jarring to watch, considering that his face was purely his exo-skeleton. "If that is the case… I do not wish to cry again."_

"_Hey, don't say that!" Viggs exclaimed, as he patted Omega's back again. "We may cry when we're sad… but there are some things that make a person so happy, that they simply cry because of it. You ought to remember that for a time when you're really happy, Omega."_

And indeed, Omega was shedding tears, though as he remembered those words Viggs gave him, he knew why he wept. After years of being under someone else's servitude, both by the Marines and by Wana, the fact that the pirates really wanted him onboard, not as a tool, but as a genuine friend. That was enough for him to drop the raft, before rushing towards the bridge. _Viggs…_ he thought, before he could see the Howling Moon slowly sail out from underneath the bridge. _…thank you._

Once the ship was in full view from up at the bridge, Omega was quick to leap off the edge of the bridge, before landing on the deck of the ivory ship with a bang, which surprised some of the pirates now standing around him. "Zugai Hibiware, Demon's Orthopedic…" Omega began, before he stood up, looking at Zugai with a smile. "…I would be honored to accept your invitation."

Zugai looked back at Omega as well, before he smiled. "Alright! From here on out, you're an official member of the Cross Skull Pirates!" he said, as he and Omega grabbed each other's hands, both pressing as hard as they could. "Welcome aboard!"

* * *

**Zugai Hibiware – **Captain/Shipwright/Blacksmith

**Nampu Kiyasui – **First Mate

**KC Boom – **Swordsman

**Krystal Gem – **Sniper

**Jinketsu Namura – **Navigator

**Shin Mikage – **Cook/Hunter

**Little Lady Craigmirra – **Obligatory Cute Mascot

**Chrisanthia Hopkins – **Thief/Spy

**Maria – **Assistant

**Ryozo Yamaguchi/Shibun Tsurijioro – **Doctor

**0-MAG-4/Omega ****– **Helmsman/Heavy Lifter

**A/N: **That took a lot longer than I originally anticipated, so apologies for that. Well, the Dokusai saga has now, officially, come to a close! What adventures will our eleven-man crew find? And what adversaries shall they encounter? Just remember to read and review, and I'll see you for chapter 57!

**YolkaEd**


	57. An Unexpected Visitor!

Some days had passed since the fight on Seisabetsu Island. Right now, we follow a small vessel sailing away from the island, carrying four passengers, with the atmosphere around them quite awkward at the moment. Two of these people were Akira and Vraspos, the former who seemed overtly nervous, and the latter being completely indifferent.

"Now, I wouldn't say that you've erred, Vraspos." the voice of Morte said, as the bounty hunter was supporting his head on his fist, glaring ahead of him. "After all, you've done several things that seemed farfetched, but in the end, somehow worked out for us." Then, a vein began popping in his forehead, his face growing agitated. "But answer me this…" he growled, before he suddenly pointed straight ahead. "WHY DID YOU ALLOW HER ONBOARD?!"

The girl he was referring to was actually Tenpan, who seemed equally displeased at being on the same ship with Morte. "Don't think you're the only one suffering here, Manigordo." she said with a pout, lifting away a bit of her green hair to glare at the bounty hunter. "I'd rather still be under Dokusai's control than to sail with you."

"Than why can't you just jump ship and save us all the trouble of enduring your company?" Morte spat, as he returned the glare at Tenpan, and now, Akira and Vraspos could clearly see that sparks were bouncing between the two.

"I would've, if I knew where the hell I was!" Tenpan snapped, as she jabbed her baton at Morte's forehead. "Thanks to your buddy, I'm trapped on a run-down dinghy with three bounty hunters I wouldn't want to associate myself with!"

This, however, earned her Morte's ire, as he drew his gun, before jabbing the butt of it against Tenpan's forehead. "Say one more negative thing about Mouse Trap, and I'll show you why East Blue feared my name." he hissed, very nearly turning into his hybrid-form.

"You named a dinghy Mouse Trap?" Tenpan scoffed, just as she rose from where she sat. "How ironic; the trap caught nothing but a pussycat." she said snidely, which made Morte stand up as well, just turning into his hybrid-form.

"Guys, maybe you shouldn't rock the boat too much…" Akira began, as he held onto the railing of the small ship, but when both Morte and Tenpan gave him a deadly glare, he instinctively hid himself behind Vraspos.

"You wanted to know why I brought her aboard, right, Morte?" Vraspos said, as he lifted his wide-brimmed hat away from his eyes, which allowed him to look upon the two bounty hunters. "The reason is that I found you and her to be quite the match." he said with a grin, which made both Morte and Tenpan blink out of curiosity. "Heh, see? I told you." Then, as he slid the hat down so it covered his eyes again, Morte and Tenpan sat down again, both of them looking away from each other with a pout.

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**An Unexpected Visitor****!**

**The Amnesia-Struck Swordswoman****!**

* * *

The night had cast its veil over the sky, as the Howling Moon was well on its way to the next island. After the battles on Seisabetsu Island, the Cross Skull Pirates had begun recovering; Zugai and Chris had their bandages removed, and KC could actually move about without using his swords as crutches. Only Nampu was the one who still needed to stay in bed, though he was getting better.

Like a few days ago, Omega kept watch, standing at the base of the mast, looking out to the horizon. Some times, he would sit down and read from the same book he had read when the ship was on its way to Seisabetsu Island. Suddenly, the sound of a door opening caught Omega's attention, but he remained at ease when he saw that it was simply Zugai, exiting his workshop. "I almost thought that you had fallen asleep in there, Captain." Omega said, before he continued reading.

"Well, I've spent time thinking." Zugai replied, as he walked over to the cyborg. "Now that I got Wana's skeleton, I have two to spare, so I've been thinking on what I could forge…"

"Really, now." Omega said flatly in return, as his attention was fully directed at the book he read. "I thought you were content with the labrys you carry around."

"Well, I am." Zugai replied, as he sat down next to Omega. "You could even say that Honehakaisha is my treasure. But…" he added, before he looked up at the sky. "I think I've learned something from battling Morte back at Atsumari."

"_Your predictability will be your downfall."_

That quote still rang through Zugai's head; even though he had defeated Morte, both he and Bane had been the people who had put him closest to defeat; he had to pop half of his skeleton out of his body to defeat Morte, and he had to rely on Ryozo to ensure that Bane didn't crush him. "Even though Honehakaisha's my signature weapon, if I just stick to using that, I'll eventually lose to someone who knows how I use it."

"So you're planning on building a new weapon out of bone?" Omega inquired, as he closed his book. "I noticed the three-sectioned staff Maria uses in battle; your handiwork, I presume?"

"You're right on the money." Zugai said with a small laugh, before he looked at the cyborg. "But I'm not sure about a weapon… maybe something more defensive?"

"_You can't keep your claws extended whilst your skeleton is hardened for very long, can you?"_

"As long as you know what you want to build, then I'm fine with it, Captain." Omega said, before he looked towards Zugai out of the corner of his eye. "Then again, it's your creation, so my opinion on the matter shouldn't deter you from building it."

"Yeah, you got a point there." Zugai responded with a chuckle, before he stood up. "How long will you stay up, Omega? We've got a hammock ready for you in the boy's room, just so you know."

"I'll remain up for a while." Omega said, before he opened his book again. "What about you? The rest of the crew went to sleep two hours, 37 minutes and 28.4 seconds ago." Zugai blinked at the strangely accurate guess of time Omega gave, but quickly shook it off.

"Well, I've got to see someone before I go to bed." Zugai said, before he began walking towards the infirmary. "Don't stay up too late." he added, before he vanished through the door to the infirmary, leaving the cyborg by himself. However, when Zugai had been gone for only a few seconds, Omega jerked his head towards a door adjacent to Zugai's workshop, as if he had heard someone there.

Inside the infirmary, everything was calm, with only the snores coming from a heavily bandaged, sleeping Nampu breaking through the silence. Smiling a bit, Zugai took a chair and placed it next to the sickbed, before sitting down on said chair. "Hey, Nampu. You're feeling alright?" he said, as he began nudging his first mate, causing him to wake up.

"Uhm…" Nampu uttered with a blink, before he looked up at Zugai. "Oh… hiya, Zugai." he said, before he looked away. "Aren't you supposed to be catching you some Z's?" he asked.

"I've been busy in the workshop all day, you see." Zugai replied, though it was swiftly followed by Nampu giving an understanding grunt. "…something wrong, Nampu?" he asked, as he tilted his head a bit.

"I dunno, I just…" Nampu began, before he sat up in the bed, his eyes looking weary, despite the strain he put himself through to keep himself like that. "I guess I was being kinda ego back when we fought Dokusai, thinking I could handle him on my own." he sighed. "Now that I think about it, it was a pretty damn stupid move back there."

"But if you realize that it was a stupid move…" Zugai began, as Nampu looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "…why did you do it?" However, his reply came in the form of his gloved hand being grabbed by Nampu, who was now looking a bit more determined.

"I guess I did it because of this." he said, lifting the hand lightly to emphasize his point. "Or maybe I did it because I didn't want to get saved and seeing someone get hurt for my sake again."

Zugai blinked, as he looked at his gloved hand, before Nampu let go of it, just as he slumped back down on the bed. "It's about what happened back then, right?" he said, before standing up from the chair. "I've told you that it's alright; you needn't beat yourself up over it."

Nampu merely made a humming sound, as he looked up at Zugai. "Still, it's not something I like to be reminded of, and… well, the glove doesn't quite cover up that memory."

"Don't worry about it." Zugai said, before punching Nampu lightly in the shoulder. "Besides, you did good against Dokusai, even after we got and helped you."

Nampu smiled a bit at that, before he closed his eyes. "Well, I suppose I ought to thank you for saving my ass back then…" he said, as he began snoring again. However, before Zugai could leave the room, Nampu managed to call his name, earning his attention. "Zugai, I just want to let you know… if you weren't straight, I'd have kissed ya for saving me."

With a smile, Zugai opened the door to the infirmary, getting ready to leave. "I'll take that as a compliment, I guess. Good night, Nampu." he said, before he exited the infirmary, closing the door after him. With that done, Nampu was quick to fall back into the realms of sleep.

As Zugai went towards the boy's room, however, he noticed that something was amiss; namely, Omega was no longer sitting by the mast, and the door leading to the storage room was open. "What the…" he uttered, as he approached the open door. "Why would Omega want to go down here?" he mused, before he quickly pulled out his left humerus, intending to use it as a club, in case someone other than Omega was down there. Then, he began descending the flight of stairs leading down to the storage room.

Down in the storage room, everything seemed in order. The trap door leading up to his workshop was firmly shut, and both the dry food and the barrels filled with various beverages remained exactly where Zugai had placed them the last time. "So… who's down here?" he uttered, as his grip on the bone in his right hand tightened.

Just then, he heard a surprised yelp coming from further into the darkened storage room, and as this perked his interest, he cautiously moved forward, as to not startle whoever this stranger was. However, all of a sudden, he felt something being thrown right at him, as both he and the projectile were sent tumbling back towards the stairs. "Captain, grab a hold of her."

Hearing Omega's calm voice coming from the dark, Zugai was quick to grab hold of whatever had been thrown at him, only for him to realize that it was a person. "H-hey, let me go, would ya?!" the person said, and as Omega had hinted at, it was a girl. Out of confusion, Zugai nearly let go of her, but before he could, he saw the cyborg step out of the darkness, looking down at him and the girl.

"I found her lurking about down here, captain." Omega said, as he picked the girl up for Zugai, letting him see her features; long, red hair tied in a ponytail, a sleeveless, pink shirt, blue shorts and sandals as attire, and a sword hung on her back; sure as day, this was Haze, Dokusai's strongest in the Veldheer Inkwartieren.

Haze was, naturally, not too pleased at being discovered, as she was flailing around in an attempt to make Omega drop her, which didn't work out too well. "Damnit, let me go already!" she yelled, but still to no effect.

Zugai was, naturally, a bit confused by this. "Omega, what's going on? And who is she, exactly?" he asked, even though he wasn't sure if the cyborg knew the answer or not.

"Like Veronica Rasputin, she was one of Dokusai's elite soldiers back on Seisabetsu Island, along with Aven Moken and Leona. Of course, you wouldn't know of it, since you headed directly to Dokusai's castle, and thus, never met any of them until we had defeated Dokusai." Omega replied, before he threw a glance at Haze, who turned away from him in a huff, despite still being held by the cyborg. "This woman was fought by KC Boom, and apparently, she escaped after they were done."

"I didn't escape at all!" Haze said, without looking at either Omega or Zugai. "But, my memory's kind of a blur… I remember after this large flash of light, I was freed from being Dokusai's slave, so I hid myself at the closest and safest place I could imagine… but how should I have known that it was your ship?"

"Well, the pirate flag could have been an indicator…" Zugai began, as he held his chin, before shaking his head. "Speaking of, how did you come to be under Dokusai's control anyway?"

"And why do you wanna know?" Haze spat in a snide tone, just as she was lightly knocked on the head by Omega. "Ow… alright." she sighed, before she looked at Zugai. "To be honest, the only thing I can remember is that Dokusai killed some guy who was after me…" Then, she stopped, before she held her hands against her head. "That was… one of the shadow people." she uttered.

Zugai raised an eyebrow once Haze said that. "Shadow people? As in, people born out of shadow? I don't think there's any kind of people like that…" he said.

"They're not made out of shadows." Haze shot in, before she shook her head. "I just call them that because…" Then, she closed her eyes. "…I can't remember why they tried attacking me. Hell, I can't remember anything from the past 15 years of my life. I'm 16, by the way."

This perked the interest of both pirates, as they eyed Haze curiously. "You can't remember anything from… what kind of amnesia is that?" Zugai asked, as Haze merely shrugged.

"Well, if I knew what kind it was, I probably wouldn't have amnesia to begin with, would I?" she said, before she turned her head to look at Omega. "Look, I don't want to cause any sort of trouble; you can drop me off on the next island, if you'd like."

"And let you fend off those shadow people by yourself?" Zugai suddenly shot in. "Look, even though the only thing I know of you is what you and Omega told me, doesn't mean that I'd just throw you out the first chance we got. You'd probably not want to become a pirate, but you can stay on the ship until you feel ready to leave."

Hearing Zugai say this, both Omega and Haze looked at him with surprise in their eyes. "Captain… are you sure?" Omega inquired, as Zugai simply nodded in response. "But what if her presence leads these 'shadow people' to our ship?"

"We'll just fight them off, won't we?" Zugai replied with a smile, before he looked at Haze. "Speaking of, if you've hidden yourself on Moon ever since you broke free from Dokusai's control, where have you slept?"

"I improvised and made a mattress out of some rags lying around down here." Haze responded, as she pointed behind her. "But still… you're really letting me stay? Despite the fact that we know nothing about one another?" she uttered in bewilderment.

"I think we've established that." Zugai said, before he turned around with a yawn. "Whether you choose to continue sleeping down here, or if you want to sleep in the girl's room is up to you. Just remember; even though you're sailing with us, you're not part of the crew, so don't act like you are, okay?"

"Yeah, I got it; nobody likes a faker, huh?" Haze said with a brief chuckle, before she looked over at Omega. "Do you think you could let me down now? My feet are falling asleep like this!"

With a simple nod, Omega dropped Haze to the floor, before looking back at Zugai, who yawned yet another time. "When you want to leave, don't hesitate to tell me, alright?" Zugai said, before he and Omega vanished up the stairs to the main deck, leaving Haze behind down there.

_Wow… I didn't think anyone could be so trusting. _Haze thought to herself, before she looked behind her, before walking further into the storage room, until she eventually came across a bundle of rags lying on the ivory floor. _Well, looks like I'm going to have to get used to this for a while. _she thought, before she laid herself on the rags, closing her eyes, and eventually falling asleep.

* * *

**A/N: **Didn't see that coming, did you? Well, there's not too much to say, apart from this; the coming chapters won't focus too much on the Cross Skull Pirates, so you know what that means? No? Exposition time! Remember to read and review, and we'll see how long this expository arc takes!

**YolkaEd**


	58. A Family Council!

As Haze opened her eyes, she found the storage room to be as dark as it had been the night before. It wasn't too surprising; there weren't any lanterns or anything like that illuminated the room, and there were no windows that could allow light to shine in. "Well… off to a good start, I take it?" she muttered, before she got off the rags she had used as a mattress.

She could still hear Zugai's words as good as she did the night before, and though the initial shock of someone allowing her to stay with them indefinitely had mellowed out, she still couldn't quite believe it. _Though… they are pirates, right? _she thought, before she grew a slightly worried look. _I can't risk getting too friendly with them… they could be working with the shadow people, for all I know._

However, her train of thought was derailed when she heard knocking coming from above, and just then, a trap door in the ceiling opened, followed by Zugai's head popping out of the open hole. "You're still down there? Where's the fun in that?" he asked, before motioning upwards. "If you hurry up, Shin might have some food left for you." Then, he retreated back up into the room, before the trap door shut itself close.

Looking up at the trap door with a puzzled look, Haze looked ahead of her, and as her eyes grew a bit more accustomed to the darkness down in the storage room, she could make out the stairs leading up to the deck. With a brief nod, she made her way to the stairs, before she ascended them, eventually reaching the door leading out to the deck.

However, she hesitated in opening the door, as she wasn't too sure if she would be greeted with open arms, despite Zugai's approval of her stay on the ship. _I did try to kill that guy while Dokusai controlled me… KC, wasn't it? I don't think they'll think too good of me because of that…_

However, before she could even think of going back down the stairs, the door was opened, and Haze found herself standing face-to-face with Chris. "Oh, so you're that chick Zugai told us about?" Chris said, before she grabbed Haze's arm, shaking it a bit. "Nice to meet you; name's Chris!"

"Uhm… okay?" Haze uttered, just as Chris let go of her arm, before she went away, back to the main deck, where Haze could see KC, Krystal, and Ryozo standing there as well, all of them talking amongst one another.

"Hey, guys! The girl Zugai told us about finally decided to get out in the sun! Everyone, be polite and introduce yourselves!" Chris said, which alerted the other pirates to the fact that Haze was standing in the doorway, having no clue on where to hide herself from this.

"Huh… I didn't think you'd hide on our ship." KC said plainly, as he scratched the back of his head, much to Haze's wonder, as she had given him a tough run for his money back on Seisabetsu Island. "Well, you probably still remember my name, but it's KC, in case you forgot."

Krystal looked at Haze with a neutral expression, before she broke into a smile. "I guess KC gave you a hard time, right? He can be like that sometimes." she said playfully, before winking to KC, who returned the wink back to her. "Anyway, I'm Krystal."

Ryozo lifted the half-ruined sunglasses he wore away from his eyes, just to get a better look at Haze. "That captain of ours, finding some way to expand the number of people sailing here… I'm Ryozo. Your name was… Haze, wasn't it?"

Haze blinked, as she now knew that she had no choice but to step out into the sunlight, and with a nervous chuckle, she waved at the pirates. "Yeah… the name's actually Haley, but most people call me Haze. It's nice to meet you guys." she said with a smile.

"Heh, you kinda remind me of Maria when she was new to the crew." Chris laughed, before she looked up towards the kitchen door, which Haze couldn't help but look at either. "Zugai and the others are still eating breakfast, so if you hurry, you'll get a taste of what Shin's cooking tastes like."

Haze blinked, as she exchanged looks from all of the other pirates, who were nodding in agreement with Chris, before she looked back at Chris. "So… I can just go and…" she began, though when Chris nodded as well, she realized the answer. "…alright, then! Thanks for letting me stay at your ship, by the way!" she said with a smile on her face, before she walked towards the stairs leading to the kitchen. _I'm getting permission to eat with these guys… maybe they aren't so bad, after all!_

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Family Council!**

**Crime-Lords, Psychopaths, and a Couple More**

* * *

On the Grand Line, there's an island known as Maiodoru Island, where one form of art is appreciated more than anything; dance. Yes, unlike Shigusa Island back in East Blue, which settled its pride on theater performances, the pride of Maiodoru was dance, and all forms of it; ballet, waltz, you name it. For any dancing enthusiast, this was paradise on earth.

However, one individual was not interested in dancing, but rather business, though you couldn't tell from just looking at him, what with his brown janitor's outfit and cap, and the various cleaning tools hanging on his body. This man was quick to enter what appeared to be a large disco-hall, and sure as rain, there was a wild party going on inside.

"Heh… that guy really knows how to hold a low profile." the man uttered sarcastically, before he walked towards a bar, sitting down by the counter. "Give me a scotch, if you please. On the rocks."

The bartender he was talking to nodded, before he went to prepare the man's drink. "I haven't seen your face around here before…" the bartender began, as he threw the man a brief glance, before handing him his scotch. "What's your business here?"

"Well, I was hoping you could help me with that." the man replied, before he downed his drink in one sip, placing the glass back on the counter. "I'm looking for a guy called Supin Kosudi. You wouldn't know where he is, would you?"

The bartender raised an eyebrow, before he took the man's glass, cleaning it up. "And who is wondering about where he is?" he said, giving the man a hard stare.

"Well…" the man began, as he dug some Beli bills out of his outfit. "You can tell him that Yomu's been looking for him." he said, before placing the bills on the counter.

The bartender didn't say anything for a while, but soon, he pointed towards a door next to the bar. "He's waiting in there." he said, before he went back to cleaning the glass.

"Thanks. And just keep the change." Yomu said with a nod, before he strode away from the bar, into the door he had been pointed to. What met him was total darkness, save for a small lamp illuminating an empty chair and desk, which he was quick to sit down on. "Supin, when are you going to invest in some actual lighting in here?"

At that moment, a different lamp was turned on, and as Yomu noticed, the one who had lighted this one wore disco-like clothing, and his hair was an afro. "Bro, don't flip on the lighting, okay?" he said, as he folded his arms. "Besides, I was under the impression that we weren't gonna have the next meeting here."

"Hey, he wanted it to be like this, okay?" Yomu said with a shrug, before he leant back on his chair, placing his feet on the desk. "Alright, wherever you are, begin with the meeting. I've got to get a new job, you see."

"Still the same joker, right, Sojinin?" a different voice said, as another lamp was turned on; this time, the person who lit it had blonde, spiky hair, but for some reason, he had a black goatee sprouting from his chin. He also wore a purple suit with a green tie, and a blue rose was tucked inside the pocket of the suit's jacket, and his face, which was bandaged somewhat, also had a pair of sunglasses with green lenses placed over it. "I shouldn't bore you with details; you all know why I organized this Family Council."

"Yeah, yeah, bro, that whole uncool killing back in East Blue…" Supin uttered, before he looked at the bandaged man. "So, Dokusai, let's hear it; who do you want as a replacement to Megtapos?"

"Does it really matter?" Yomu sighed, as he looked up at the roof. "Without Megtapos around, these councils get so incredibly boring, seeing as we can't see him and Dokusai trying to tear each other apart any more."

"Don't get smart with me, North Leader." Dokusai scoffed, though his nickname to Yomu earned him a look, which he chose to ignore. "Well, my choice of replacement may seem a bit… off to you two, Kosudi. But, he has chosen to come here in person and tell us why he's-"

"I think that would suffice, Dokusai." a different voice said, as yet another lamp was turned on, though this time, Yomu and Supin looked at this individual with surprise. He wore a black cloak that covered most of his body, and his black hair was tied in a long ponytail, and right now, he simply threw glances at the trio. "Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Etels Tyches."

Upon seeing Etels, Supin suddenly rose from his seat, glaring at Dokusai. "What's the meaning of this, bro? He's sittin' his ass where it doesn't belong!" he said, though Dokusai merely took this in stride.

"I think it will belong here from this day forward." Etels said, as suddenly, a silvery tendril shot out from his index finger, right in front of Supin's face. "Besides, I think you'll benefit more from having me as part of your organization than you did with Count Megtapos."

"Especially since you killed him, right?" Yomu said, as Supin and Etels looked at him, though Dokusai remained calm about this. "Oh, come on, don't pretend like you didn't do it. I may look simple, but I can tell a murderer from another."

Etels narrowed his eyes, before he scoffed. "Oh well, I suppose there's no reason to keep it a secret any further." he said, before the tendril shot back into his index finger. "Yes, I killed Megtapos, but he was nothing but a pawn, and you should know this."

Yomu raised an eyebrow at this, before he sat upright in his chair. "You do know the punishment one can suffer from killing a leader of the Family? The Grand Line leader's gonna have you killed for it."

"I'd like to see him try." Etels said with scoff, before he stood up. "From what I gather, I can simply kill all of you, and usurp control of this organization for myself. None of you have the power to stop me, even though you would wish you had it."

However, Etels' comment made Supin break out into laughter, which caught his attention. "Bro, if you wanna rule this organization, you can't just off us! There's the Family leaders of not only the Grand Line, but also the New World you've gotta worry about."

"Besides…" Yomu shot in, as he took out a list of wanted posters. "…why would we accept a wanted man like you into this organization? Etels Tyches, also known as Steel Scythe, wanted for 50 million Beri." As he spoke, he flung one poster at Etels, who caught it without a hitch. Sure enough, the poster depicted a shadowed character holding two scythes, surrounded by a number of corpses, and the name read just as Yomu had said it.

With a scoff, Etels threw away the wanted poster. "It's all for my plans to the world. I don't classify myself as a pirate, but as long as I keep my work in the shadows, without drawing more attention to myself than needed, I am pleased."

"And these 'plans' of yours…" Dokusai finally spoke up, as he looked at Etels indifferently. "…would you care to indulge us?"

Etels, however, merely scoffed, before he sat down. "Like I would proclaim my plans to you. All I'm interested in is joining this organization, and nothing more."

Before anyone of the Family leaders could speak up, they heard a shrill laughter coming from the darkness, which startled Dokusai, Supin and Yomu, but left Etels with a raised eyebrow. "He may join the Family. End of discussion." this new character said, just as a candle was lit, revealing a different table further away from the one the four sat by, showing a middle-aged man wearing a lab coat, with his short, black hair tied in a ponytail, and a calm, yet maniacal grin on his face. "It's good to see you once more, Tyches."

At this point, Dokusai, Supin and Yomu were speechless, but Etels merely scoffed upon seeing this man. "Professor Gigaku. I was under the assumption that you worked with the Marines?" he said, though this made Gigaku laugh.

"My dear Steel Scythe… do you think that I'd sell my genius to work for those fools?" he said with that same grin on his face, before he pulled out a book, reading it thoroughly. "Yes, I do have an alliance with the Marines, and in turn, the World Government, but I do not follow their orders. And why should I? They offer me nothing that I can experiment on, which is a shame."

Now, Yomu had calmed himself, as he looked at Gigaku, with his pencil between his teeth. "It's not often that we see you around, Gigaku. Usually, our Family Councils only go between the leaders from the Blues. What, is the Fairy Godmother with us as well?"

"Of course not; she is busy in the New World." Gigaku responded, as he closed the book he read. "In fact, I was busy as well, what with that fool Bane and his lackeys keeping an eye on me… as well as my former test subject… but since we were to discuss the situation of our East Blue section, I thought I could share my thoughts."

As he said this, Etels smirked. "So, this means that I'm a part of this organization now." he said, before looking at Supin, who was the only one who still seemed shocked that Gigaku was there. "This also means that you've been proven wrong; my ass does belong on this seat, if I may use your choice of wording."

With a huff, Supin sat down again, before looking at Dokusai. "Well, bro? We've gotten ourselves a new East Blue guy, so I take it that the meeting's over?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid." Dokusai said with a sigh, as he held his hands together in a professional manner. "I believe that we should discuss something that this organization seems to have a recurring theme of… namely encounters with a certain pirate crew; the Cross Skull Pirates, if I'm not mistaken."

This name led to Yomu and Supin looking curiously at Dokusai, though both Gigaku and Etels seemed disinterested in this subject matter. "Cross Skull Pirates?" Yomu repeated, as he held his chin in thought. "Where have I heard that name before…?"

"I believe you'll find them in your list of posters." Etels began, before he took something out of his cloak, which were a smaller bundle of wanted posters. "Or better yet, this list. Tomorrow, these will become public to the masses, for the murder of Shieki Dokusai, along with the downfall of Mayor Wana from Ketsuwoo Island."

As he spoke, everyone looked at him with some manner of surprise, even Gigaku. "Wait, the murder of Dokusai?" Supin repeated, as he looked at Dokusai with wide eyes. "But… he's right there!"

"And just how did you come to know of Wana's death, Steel Scythe?" Yomu said with a raised eyebrow, twirling his pencil in his left hand. "The only witnesses to that was me, one of his former comrades, and some kid with a large axe…"

"I have my ways, Yomuin Sojinin." Etels said bluntly, which caught Yomu's attention. "I've no intention of telling you of my ways, however; that's for you to guess. Regardless, we should consider these pirates a threat to the organization." he said, as he threw the bundle of posters at Gigaku, who caught them with little effort.

"They're not the only ones we have to worry about…" Dokusai uttered, as he leant back in his chair. "There's also the matter of the bounty hunter, Manigordo; before I lost control of them, my army were having a confrontation with them."

However, at that moment, Gigaku began laughing, as he had finished reading through the posters. "Hah! We're to worry about these fools? There are dozens of crews more intimidating than this, such as the Blackmouth Pirates, the Night Fright Pirates, and even the Blue Lightning Pirates. Why would we…" He trailed off, when he saw two of the posters. "…well, well. I remember these faces anywhere… one of my failures, and a former associate. You remember them as well, right, Steel Scythe?"

As Etels merely nodded in approval, Dokusai, Supin and Yomu looked at Gigaku with a puzzled look on their faces. "Who are you…"

"Ah, I don't believe I told you, but before I joined the Family under the Fairy Godmother, Tyches was an associate of mine, though the Marines didn't know him at that time." Gigaku said, as he put away the posters. "But aside from that, we shouldn't worry too much about these pirates; they're nothing but worms… worms I can experiment on."

"I wouldn't say that, Gigaku." Etels said, as he folded his arms. "After all, before I killed him, the Demon's Orthopedic and the Water Lord did defeat Count Megtapos, and now, well…" As he said this, he motioned towards Dokusai, who tried hiding his bandaged face now. "He didn't get those injuries from falling down the stairs."

"But is it really worth getting so upset over?" Yomu inquired, as he looked at Etels with a raised eyebrow. "If what you say is true, and their bounties will be increased, then why should we go out of our way to kill them? There are more bounty hunters than just this Manigordo guy Dokusai spoke of, and they'll be chasing after them in no time."

"All I'm saying is to keep them under watch." Etels said, before he cracked his neck. "The World Government didn't take Straw Hat Luffy that seriously at first, and look at what happened there."

"Alright, Steel Scythe, we get your point." Gigaku spoke up, as he looked at the four leaders sitting before him. "The Dokusai Family, the Sojinin Family, the Kosudi Family, and now, the Tyches Family… in the name of the Family, we'll hold this world underneath us! Now, you may leave." Then, he stood up from his seat, before vanishing into the dark. "I have a ship waiting to take me back to headquarters…"

"Hmph… creepy old man." Dokusai scoffed once Gigaku was out of ear's reach, before he looked at where Etels sat, only to see that now, Etels was gone as well. "Wha… but he was there just this minute!"

"It doesn't matter, bro." Supin sighed, as he ran a hand through his afro. "If you'd like, I could buy ya a drink, if you-" he began, though Dokusai simply cut him off.

"No thanks; I'm supposed to be dead, you know." he replied curtly, before he stood up. "But I will have to stay at your club until it closes for the night, Kosudi; I don't want anyone perceiving the news as false."

"Because you want to bring your army back up again, I take it?" Yomu said nonchalantly, before he stood up too. "Do as you like, I don't care. But there's one thing I'm certain of…" he added, before he smirked. "…things seem to be getting more interesting, now that this Steel Scythe is with us. Let's see how this will turn out."

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, I figured I should introduce the rest of the Family's leaders (well, most of them, anyway…), so if you were expecting some huge reveal… well, sorry to disappoint. Now, there will be another chapter before we truly get back to the Cross Skull Pirates, so remember to read and review, and I'll see you for the next one!

**YolkaEd**


	59. New Bounties!

As the morning sun crawled up across the horizon, the crew on the Howling Moon began waking up to life, as some of the pirates got out of the bedrooms, covering their eyes from the sun. Even up in the crow's nest, there was life, as Haze rubbed her eyes, opening them and seeing the sun on the horizon. However, almost immediately, she noticed that she was in the crow's nest, with a blanket covering her body, rather than where she had assumed was her bedroom on this vessel.

"Huh? How'd I end up here?" she said in a baffled tone, as the previous day, she had woken up to the darkness of the storage room, only to be greeted by the sun in the crow's nest the next day. Then, it dawned on her, as she began remembering something that had occurred the day before…

"_So, Jin, what's the name of the island we're headed to?" Zugai asked, as he was currently chewing on a pancake, out of several Shin had prepared as breakfast for the pirate crew. "And how long is it until we can get there?"_

"_I'm don't know what it's called, but judging from where the Log is pointing, and looking at a map, it'll take us a few days to actually get there, not counting the travel time we've gone through since leaving Seisabetsu." Jin replied, as he finished a glass of water, before he poured himself another one, using his powers._

"_Perhaps we should count our stock, then?" Omega inquired, as he supported his chin on his knuckles, looking at Zugai. "After all, with a twelfth inhabitant on board, we might run out of food before we get a chance to replenish our stock."_

"_Hey, don't worry about it, Omega!" Shin laughed, as she handed him a plate with some pancakes on it, before she sat down by the table. "We've got enough resources to last us a week, at least. Even with that Haze-girl on board, we won't run out of food." she said, before she looked at Jin. "And I think we can safely say that water won't be an issue, right, Water Lord?" she added jokingly._

"_B-but…" Maria began, as she saw the pirates turn towards her, making her a bit reluctant to continue. "…about Haze… sh-should we let her sleep down in the storage room? E-even if she chooses to sleep down there… it doesn't seem fair to…"_

_Before she could continue, the door to the kitchen suddenly opened, and in walked Haze, who noticed Zugai and Omega fairly quickly, but regardless, she waved at the pirates. "Hiya! I think maybe Zugai's told you about me, but the name's Haley, or Haze for short."_

"_Oh, speak of the devil!" Shin laughed, as she stood up from the table, before she grabbed Haze's arm, shaking it. "Nice to meet'cha!" she began. "The name's Shin. I'm pretty sure that you already know Zugai and Omega, so the two others, they're Jin and Maria."_

_As Jin and Maria waved to Haze, Zugai looked up at the ceiling, obviously in thought. "So, who's going to stay watch up in the crow's nest tonight?" he said out loud, which made everyone present look curiously at him. "In case we encounter the next island when most of the crew is asleep, we'll have to have a night-watch throughout the night…" he said with a hum, as he threw a casual glance at Haze for a brief moment, before looking back at the ceiling._

"_Hey, I could do that!" Haze suddenly spoke up. "I mean… if it's alright with you… I mean, it's not like I'm trying to make myself look like part of the crew, but-"_

"_A-are you sure you should do that?" Maria asked with some concern, as she looked up at Haze, who looked back at the fishwoman. "I-I mean, you could catch a cold up there, and…" she began, when Jin shot in by clearing his throat._

"_Actually, I've read the papers for today, and the weather's actually going to be quite warm. If anything, I'm sure we could spare a blanket from one of the vacant beds in either bedroom."_

"_So, you still want to stay in the crow's nest?" Zugai said, as he looked up at Haze. "You know, we could easily prepare a bed for you in the girl's bedroom-"_

"_You need someone to keep watch, right? I already said that I'd do it, so you can't exactly change my mind!" Haze shot in, smiling a bright smile as she said this._

"Huh… it must've slipped my mind when I fell asleep." Haze uttered, as she yawned for a bit, when something suddenly fell in her lap. Out of curiosity, she looked down, only to see an extra-thick newspaper. "Ooh, does that mean that the new bounties are out?" she said, before she looked up to see a seagull wearing a mailman's hat and a pouch for money hanging around its neck. Immediately understanding what the deal was, she fished out a pair of Beli coins, paying the bird for the paper.

When the bird flew off, she opened the newspaper, to see a bundle of papers fall out from it; the bounty list. Picking it up, she began rifling through it. _Wonder if this mentions anyone famous… maybe I can find the guy who took my memories? _she thought, as she looked at the various names on the posters; 'Man-Demon' Gin, 'Puppet Master' Lance Wright, 'Fate-Stringer' Seigyoki Ayatsuri, 'Blood Baron' Van Saren, 'Death's Blind Spot' Ken Dye Maan, 'Demon's Orthopedic' Zugai Hibiware…

Immediately, she stopped, as she went back to Zugai's poster. _Weird… didn't his bounty just say 25 million before?_ As it turned out, Zugai's bounty was changed, having gone through a drastic change; what used to be 25 million Beri, now amounted to 74 million Beri. Going through the list, she saw that practically every Cross Skull Pirate either had received a bounty, or had an increase.

'Unpredictable Storm' Nampu Kiyasui: From 17 million, to 52 million.

'Magic Swordsman' KC Boom: From 23 million, to 64 million.

'Explosive Archer' Krystal Gem: From 19 million, to 60 million.

'Water Lord' Jinketsu Namura: From 20 million to 67 million.

'Trap Master' Shin Mikage: A bounty of 55 million Beri was now on her head, with a picture of her after fighting off Nuccali back on Yokocho Island.

'Little Lady of Rage' Craigmirra: From 22 million to 59 million.

'Crescent Dagger' Chris Hopkins: A bounty of 61 million Beri was now on her head, with a picture of her dealing with Ahmar, holding her trademark dagger at the ready.

'Ocean's Maiden' Maria: A bounty of 62 million Beri was now on her head, with a picture of her using her Honetuskon against several Marines back on Yokocho.

'Bane of the Mountains' Shibun Tsurijioro: From 34 million to 64 million, with an updated picture; rather than the old, grainy, silhouetted picture, this one clearly showed Ryozo pointing his rock sword at an off-screen Veronica, almost identical to KC's picture.

'Biomechanic Man' 0-MAG-4: A whooping 72 million Beri was the cyborg's first bounty, and the picture showed Omega looking quite ominously at the camera, his face partially showing his exo-skeleton, which probably meant that the picture had been taken at Ketsuwoo Island.

So there sat Haze, holding these bounties in her hands, her eyes widening in sheer awe. "Holy… I've got to show the others these bounties!

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**New Bounties!**

**The Cross Skull Pirates, A Recognized Threat!**

* * *

In the East Blue, the news about the wanted Cross Skull Pirates spread like wildfire. Not that their escapades hadn't already been noted after they defeated Kishikiyoi and created a ruckus on Shigusa Island, but with the downfall of the corrupt mayor of Ketsuwoo, the defeat of Napoleon Bane and the death of Shieki Dokusai, they were achieving celebrity status on some islands.

This would be especially apparent on Hobashira Island, where Zugai and Nampu had begun their journey as pirates. Sure, there were some who didn't approve of their path in life, but most of those who lived on the island, especially Nampu's parents, was happy that they were becoming recognized by the world.

On Annai Island, where KC and Krystal had joined the rising pirate crew, many were celebrating KC's and Krystal's bounties, especially Sean and Dan, who had known the two for as long as they could remember. "He told us that he'd make himself recognized, so if this is the way he wants to go by it, then let him; our Magic Swordsman!"

On Alcedonia Island, there weren't anyone in particular who could recognize the Cross Skull Pirates, as the members of the Family who had been chasing Shin and beaten up Henko had long since abandoned the island, leaving it a peaceful place once more. Only the newly-recovered Henko seemed to recognize the pirates, as she was sitting in her cave by herself, reading the newspaper. "Tsch… pirates." she scoffed, before she threw away the paper in disgust.

On Shigusa Island, the Draco and Maria play had grown quite in popularity ever since the show that the Cross Skull Pirates put on during their visit, and once a week, they would try to emulate Card Shark's sudden attack, along with KC's intervention, and even though they were accepted with standing ovations, everyone could agree that the pirates' version of it was the best that had ever been seen, something Roux Hareng could benefit on financially, as the anticipation for a repeat performance by the pirates caused profit to sky-rocket. "Bless those pirates; my business has never been stronger!"

Even in Loguetown, news of the pirates and their new bounties were going strong, especially since the pirates had averted capture from Kishikiyoi's troops there. Right now, some pirates at a bar were celebrating these new celebrities, though one character sat in silence, his entire body cloaked. Though, as he looked at a certain poster, he couldn't help but crack a smile. "...so you did survive… know that I'll get you back for what you did to me…" he uttered, before he stood up, holding a small doll in his right hand. Then, he, along with three others, left the bar.

* * *

Marineford, the headquarters of the Marine's forces. At this moment, a pink-haired officer stood by the harbor of the island, his eyes closed. He wore a fancier Marine coat than the usual fare, along with a pair of glasses placed over his forehead, and a scar was easily noticeable over his right eye. The reason he stood there, however, was because a ship was headed into the harbor, and when it stopped, he opened his eyes.

"Now this is a rare sight; an Admiral coming and greeting newcomers." a nasal voice said, coming from the Marine ship that had anchored by the harbor. Soon, four characters stepped off the boat and onto solid land; Napoleon Bane, Kishikiyoi, Netok Najun, and Professor Gigaku. "Admiral Coby. It's an honor to be in your presence." Bane said with a brief bow.

"No, the pleasure's all mine." Coby said with a brief chuckle, before he looked at Gigaku with a more serious look. "I hope that there weren't any problems in getting him here?" he said, obviously referring to the professor.

"Well, there was that time when he stayed on an island for an entire day just to mess with us, but apart from that, nothin' big." Netok yawned lazily, though she looked more or less thoughtful. As Kishikiyoi and Bane threw a glance at her, Gigaku couldn't help but suppress a laugh.

"Well, I saw it more or less as a practical joke." Gigaku said, as he walked past the three officers, up towards Coby, who, despite being an Admiral, still seemed a bit intimidated by the professor. "I didn't kill anyone this time, if that's what you're worried about, Admiral."

Coby gulped, before he looked away from the professor, who grinned at the sign of weakness. "Just stay in line, Gigaku. You know that Kuzan disapproves of your… methods."

Gigaku, however, merely chuckled, before walking away from Coby. "Ah, yes… Fleet Admiral Aokiji. I'll make sure that my methods fall into a level he can… appreciate." he said, before he left ears reach.

With that, Coby sighed in relief. "Why we even allowed him to join the Marines, I can't begin to tell…" he muttered, before looking at Bane, Kishikiyoi and Netok. "Oh, I almost forgot! You two must be Captain Kishikiyoi and Ensign Netok Najun from East Blue! What are you doing all the way on the Grand Line?"

After Coby asked that question, Kishikiyoi scratched the back of his helmet. "Well… we came here to find a bounty hunter who hails from East Blue. He goes by the nickname Manigordo, and he's-"

"Wait, why would you chase down a bounty hunter?" Coby asked, as he scratched his head. "They usually bring their bounties in prime condition, so I don't see the problem."

"Manigordo is different, Sir." Kishikiyoi continued, as he pulled out a couple of wanted posters. "He's probably one of the most ruthless men to ever have hailed from the East Blue to claim to be on the side of good. And he isn't exactly known for bringing his bounties in alive… and he's after a certain pirate crew that I'd rather bring in alive." As he said this, he handed Coby six wanted posters, each showing the bounties of the Cross Skull Pirates from before they left the East Blue.

"I see…" Coby hummed, before he handed Kishikiyoi back the posters after having read through them. "But haven't you heard? That pirate crew recently got a raise in bounty, and the crew list goes from six to eleven; one is of a pirate that's been assumed deceased for several years, and the other is of the 0-MAG-4 unit, which deserted from the Marines along with Sorgan Viggs five years ago."

Bane scoffed upon hearing that. "I take it that the pirate in question is Shibun Tsurijioro, 'Bane of the Mountains'?" he asked, and as Coby nodded, he sighed. "As I thought…"

"R-regardless…" Coby began, as he looked at Kishikiyoi. "Captain Kishikiyoi, we have been discussing your work in the East Blue for the past years. Though your methods have been… questionable at times…" he coughed, as Kishikiyoi looked away; the Wicked Knight was still a bad memory he held within him. "…your progress has been impeccable. So, you have been considered for a promotion in rank."

Upon hearing that, Kishikiyoi perked his head up towards Coby. "A promotion? I'm being made a Commodore?" he uttered, before he looked at Bane. "But what about Nappy? He's been doing pretty heroic stuff more than I have, you know!"

Coby merely shook his head, as he looked down at Bane. "Napoleon made a decision to not accept the promotion he was offered some time ago, and has yet to have done enough to earn another one. Whether you choose to accept the promotion or not is up to you, Kishikiyoi."

* * *

The Sakura Kingdom, located on Drum Island. Right now, Morte del Astuto and his band of bounty hunters were residing on it, in order to find a Log Pose, and find a second ship, seeing as with four of them, they would need more resources than they had been used to back in East Blue. However, at this moment, all four of those bounty hunters were reading a newspaper, or rather, what had come along with it.

"Holy… check out the bounties the Cross Skull Pirates have gotten!" Akira gasped, as he inspected the posters up close, but Vraspos was quick to lightly push him out of the way. "And Shin's got one, too! If anyone tries cashing in on that…"

"Why do you bother with just this crew?" Tenpan asked, as she also eyed the posters. "I mean, check some of the other posters here. Compared to them, the Cross Skull Pirates are a considerable step down."

Vraspos was silent, as he was counting on his fingers whilst looking at the posters. "74… going along with…" he muttered, before finally snapping his fingers. "Their total bounty is 690 million Beri. If we put that with the multiplied amount Steel Scythe would pay us if we handed them to him, we'd be swimming in 3 billion and 450 million Beri. That sort of money could allow us to retire at this age."

Tenpan looked at Vraspos with some astonishment, but not just because of his accurate and quick calculation. "Steel Scythe? How come you weaklings know someone like him?"

Morte gave her a glare, before putting the list away. "It doesn't matter; for all I care, Steel Scythe can go die in a fire." This comment greatly shocked Tenpan, who backed away from Morte as he said this. "And so can his deal. It's no longer about money when it comes to the Demon's Orthopedic…" he muttered, before he grinned wildly. "…but it's about perfection. Defeating him will settle what happened back on Atsumari."

"You're still hung up on that?" Akira said, before he looked up towards the sky. "Well, not that I have anything against you beating Hibiware… but I just want to get Shin back to my father, and prove him wrong."

Vraspos scoffed, as he stood up. "Wasting time on dreams… it's not going to get you anywhere. You have to look ahead, rather than up towards the clouds." As he said this, he put his hand on Akira's head, before bending it so that Akira would look ahead of him.

"That's a fairly moot way of thinking." Tenpan sighed, before she looked at Morte. "So, if you're thinking of defeating the Demon's Orthopedic, how are you going to go about it? With only four of us, we're at a major disadvantage… especially with a leader like _you_ to have us go onward."

Morte threw her another hateful glance for that, before he stood up as well. "Well, we'll have to assemble a crew of our own… a crew of bounty hunters, and only the best there is. We'll need everything we can get our hands on to get to those guys, especially here on the Grand Line."

* * *

"Captain! Captain, you have to see this, nya!" On the Grand Line, a medium-sized ship was sailing on the seas, but after receiving the newspaper, one crewmember of that pirate crew was ecstatic, as he had rushed into the kitchen, only to hear his captain yell in shock as the sound of something being chopped off was heard. "Oh… sorry, nya?" the crewmember uttered, as he scratched his black-furred head; his entire body was covered in black fur, though the tip of his ears and a tail emerging from his baggy, brown pants, along with his back, were white-furred.

"Nero, dude, don't surprise me like that!" the captain said, as he held his left wrist, which was missing a hand, as blood was spurting out of where the hand had used to be. "Aw, man… and Sage was going to show me how to properly prepare fish…" he uttered, before he began looking around. As was apparent, his white tank-top and black shorts, along with his dark green hair, were becoming covered in blood. "Sheesh… Sage, do you see my hand around anywhere, dude?"

"Yeah, it's right here, Ken." a different man said, as he picked up a hand that seemed quite lively, for being chopped off. This man was quite tall, and he had sand-blonde, messy short hair and a goatee comprising his facial hair. He wore a sleeveless, navy-blue shirt with a collar and simple baggy pants, along with iron-tipped boots. A worn-out eye-patch was also worn over his right eye, and a strap around his chest held a fishing rod. "But this is the third time in a row this week… Silent's not going to be happy about this one bit."

Upon hearing that name, Ken froze, as he looked frightfully at Sage. "W-well, we can't just stand around, dude!" he said, before he quickly grabbed the hand from Sage, followed by him placing it on his hand socket, making sure that it was properly in place. "We've got to clean the kitchen up, and-" He was cut off by a piece of paper landing on his head, and in curiosity, he picked it up and read it.

"_Yeah, you're a bit late on that, Captain._" the note read, and in fright, Ken looked towards the door leading into the kitchen, where someone else stood right behind Nero; it was a dark-skinned man with black dreadlocks that were tied in a ponytail, going all the way to his waist, though some parts of his hair were also somewhat gray. He wore no shirt, but he wore a pair of dark green pants with the ends being cut up, and his eyes were a complete white. Right now, he was writing something on a piece of paper, which he showed to Ken. "_But I can let it pass; after all, Nero does have some news you might find interesting._"

"Really?" Ken asked, as he scratched his head with his left hand, when he noticed a dagger lodged in his head. "Oh, for crying out loud… how come this ends up there all the time, dude?" he muttered, before he pulled the dagger out of his head. "Maybe we should get Sakura before Nero begins, right?"

"No need to wait, captain." a female voice suddenly called, as a number of sakura petals flew into the kitchen, before they reformed themselves into a female shape; she had pink, sweet-looking eyes, along with pink hair going down to her waist as well. Her attire consisted of a long, red sundress that had a cherry blossom design, and a pink flower was visible in her hair. "I just finished watering the flower garden, so I'm all ears at the moment."

"Awesome! I knew we could count on you, Sakura!" Ken laughed, as he patted Sakura on her back, which only made her smile in return. "So, Nero, what's on your mind, dude?"

"Well, nya…" Nero began, as he suddenly pulled out a list of wanted posters. "I thought that you'd be interested in knowing that you've gotten a bounty, nya!" Upon hearing that, Ken suddenly yanked the list out of Nero's hands, before he found a certain poster, showing Ken's headless body giving a peace-sign, whilst holding his decapitated head, which was roaring with laughter. The bounty was a total of 44 million Beri, and his newfound nickname was 'Death's Blind Spot'.

"Holy… I'm wanted now?" Ken uttered, before he began rummaging through the posters. "But you guys aren't on any of these! Dude, what's up with that?"

"Well…" Sage began, as he scratched his head. "It could have something to do with you accidentally blowing up part of that Marine base on the island where you recruited me..."

"Along with when you disrupted a large trial on the island you recruited me on…" Sakura began, as she couldn't help but giggle a bit at the thought.

"_And let's not even get into when you helped Zugai with defeating Napoleon Bane and his men back on Yokocho Island._" Silent wrote on a note, which led to Ken giving him a look. "_Maybe they just haven't noticed us because of your antics, captain._"

"Silent, dude, that's a low blow…" Ken muttered, which led to his crewmates breaking into laughter, and soon enough, he couldn't help but join in as well, when he noticed a certain poster. "Hey, isn't this…" he uttered, before he looked at one poster, which showed Zugai's new bounty. "Hey, dudes, check it! Our old pal Zugai's gotten recognized!"

"And he's not the only one, nya!" Nero nodded, as he picked out Chris' poster from the list, along with the posters of the rest of the Cross Skull Pirates. "Every one of them has gotten a bounty for defeating some mayor on Ketsuwoo, and getting rid of Shieki Dokusai, nya!"

"Shieki?" Sakura uttered, as she looked at Zugai's poster. "I've heard rumors of him… he's part of that villainous organization, the Family, wasn't he?"

"We've had some problems with them before on our island…" Sage sighed, as he folded his arms. "If you ask me, those pirates should be commended, not wanted for what they did."

"Well, they are pirates, dude." Ken said, before he gave Nero back the list. "As are we. If those Marine dudes decides to brand us as criminals for preventing someone from shoplifting, that's just how it is. But do we let that bring us down, dudes?" The response he got from this was a resolute 'No!' "That's what I thought! Now, let's go and become even more famous!"

* * *

The sound of blades clashing was more than enough to send the people of a sleepy village town in a panic, as they attempted to get away from a fight taking place in the town center. "Damnit… what's your beef with me, anyway?!" one of the fighters said, as he prepared for the other fighter to strike again. His hair was white-blonde, and he wore a dark-blue undershirt, blue pants and a pair of boots. The most noteworthy things about him were his jaw, which was clearly made of steel, and the large axe in place of his right hand.

"I heard that you were a strong opponent, Axe-Hand Morgan." the other fighter said, as he brandished a large, black sword with a hand guard resembling a large spider, glaring at his opponent. "I was simply wishing to see if that was the case." His skin was very pale, and his black hair extended all the way down to his chin in the front, though in the back, it barely extended past the top of his neck. He wore a white, untucked and unbuttoned dress shirt, with a midnight blue dress coat over it, along with matching pants and black shoes.

"Tsch… you've got some nerve challenging me!" Morgan scoffed, as he grabbed his elbow, before raising his right arm, intending to strike with the axe. "But if you wanted a fight, you got it!" he roared, before he slammed the axe into the ground, actually splitting it as it rocketed towards the swordsman; however, he was quick to leap above the splitting earth, before slicing his sword at Morgan's arm, leaving a small gash on it. "Tsch…"

However, at that moment, Morgan's right arm suddenly fell limp, and no matter how hard he pulled on it, he couldn't lift it off the ground. "Hmph… I must have overestimated your ability." the swordsman said, as Morgan noticed some green liquid secreting out from not only his wound, but also from the black sword itself. "I can't say that I enjoyed our battle; it was far too brief… but maybe your death will have made it more so." he added, before he raised the black sword, ready to cut down Morgan where he stood. "Farewell."

However, before he could lower his blade at Morgan, he suddenly stopped himself, as someone had suddenly appeared between him and the swordsman, his arms folded. "Nikolai, what have I told you about killing random people you decide to fight?" this newcomer said somewhat sternly, as the swordsman, or Nikolai, grudgingly lowered his sword. The newcomer wore a white T-shirt, dark pants and an unbuttoned dress coat, which was worn similarly to the one Nikolai wore. His hair was a silver color, and spiked up, with some strands falling in front of his face, sort of like bangs. His left ear was also pierced with a small chain, where a skull earring hung from it.

"…sorry, Lance. I guess I got carried away." Nikolai muttered, before he threw Morgan a glance, noticing the former Marine captain glaring hatefully at him. "Very well." he sighed, before he pulled a small syringe from his coat, before injecting its contents into Morgan's arm, which allowed him to move it.

"Not even gonna apologize, huh…" Lance said, as he sighed, before he turned around to face Morgan, who stood only a head taller than Lance. "On behalf of my navigator, I apologize for the trouble you've gone through. I hope you can forgive us!" he said, as Morgan only looked down at Lance in bewilderment.

"Peh… some pirates…" Morgan scoffed, before he turned away, walking away from the two. "You should consider putting your navigator on a leash!" he called, before he vanished from sight.

With a sigh, Lance turned back to Nikolai, shaking his head. "Honestly, I've been thinking of that, Nikolai. Me, Cedric, Collette and Amaya have been waiting for you for the past hour so we could leave the island, and you go around fighting people at random… I can't take my eyes away from you for long, can I?" he said, though as he spoke, his black eyes grew a small glint in them, before he patted Nikolai's shoulder. "C'mon, we've got to get sailing. The Blue Lightning Pirates just aren't the same without our own Black Widow."

"I suppose…" Nikolai muttered, before he sheathed the black sword in a belt by his hip. "But if we were to leave, couldn't you have sent Cedric instead? With his Devil Fruit, he'd have gotten here quicker."

"Well, for one thing, you probably wouldn't have listened to him…" Lance began, before he pulled out a piece of paper; a wanted poster. "Besides, I thought that you'd find this face nostalgic… and interesting." As he spoke, he handed the poster to Nikolai, and as he read it, his eyes widened; the poster showed 'Crescent Dagger' Chris Hopkins, along with a bounty of 61 million Beri.

"Really, now…" Nikolai muttered, before he actually smirked a bit. "Young Hopkins… after all this time... it's time to tell him that I kept the promise."

* * *

"Pan sa sa sa sa sa! Rickman, you've got to check this out!" On an island far on the Grand Line, two characters were currently sitting in an old, ruined skyscraper, which hid their figures from being seen by anyone outside. Right now, the two were looking at a newspaper, or rather the bounty list within, with a flashlight. "Pan sa sa sa, there's so many large bounties! It makes me drool just thinking about it! But that may be because I'm hungry…"

"Hah! You're always hungry, are you not, Harvey?" the other person said enthusiastically, as he looked at some of the bounties as well. "It's far too sad that our benevolent leader is conducting business in the East Blue; otherwise, he'd revel in seeing these potential targets for his justice!"

"What are you talking about bounties for?" Harvey inquired, as he held out a certain poster, showing the 'Ocean's Maiden', Maria. "Look at this! Doesn't she make you want to just eat her up?"

At that, Rickman scoffed, though it was so enthusiastically that one would imagine him actually wording a laugh. "I care not for the looks of women! As long as people can sleep without fearing for people lacking justice trying to kill them, be they beautiful or abominations, then I will be more than pleased!"

"Again with the crazy-talk…" Harvey muttered. "Though I wonder what she'd taste like, especially with some vinegar to heighten the aroma…" As he spoke, however, the sound of someone being slapped could be heard all throughout the building. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Imbecile! I can't believe that you would consider consumption of a human being, fishman or not!" Rickman said in a overdramatic fashion. "That is simply unacceptable! I should challenge you to a 500-lap race around this entire island for that!"

"Oy, vay…" Harvey uttered so that Rickman couldn't hear him, when he heard someone enter the building. "Hm? Who's there?"

"Uh… three girls looking for employment?" a female voice said, which perked Harvey's interest. "We heard that there was someone offering a job around here, and we decided to say yes to that!"

Rickman hummed, as he rubbed his chin. "Of course… our benevolent leader went to East Blue not only to conduct some business, but to get some followers with him here. If we have some followers for him ready, then he's guaranteed to be pleased!"

Harvey shrugged to this. "Well, it can't harm anyone." he said, before looking towards where the female voice had come from. "Alright, you can join, at least until our boss gets back!"

* * *

On a pirate ship, somewhere in the New World, there was a wild party going on out on the deck, with beverages being shared by the crew, along with stories and much else. "Drink, my men, drink! Today is a day worth celebrating!" one man called, though he remained hidden in the shadows, rather than partying with the rest of the crowd.

As it turned out, he was looking at a certain poster as well, this one showing Zugai's newfound bounty. "Heh… and I almost began thinking that you were long gone. Good thing that piracy seems to be in the family. Too bad your mother couldn't be here with us and see this… son."

This ship, known to some islands as the Malice Freighter, was helmed by a pirate that many held in respect, and even more feared. Though not as well-known as the Pirate Kings or the Yonkou, he had grown quite the reputation, as had his crew, known as the Chaos Pirates… and the captain was known as the Herald of Destruction, Shuzen Hibiware.

* * *

On the Howling Moon, the Cross Skull Pirates and Haze were gathered outside of the infirmary, all of them waiting in patience for a certain someone to exit the room. "How long is this gonna take?" Craigmirra said with a pout, as she had her arms folded.

"Ryozo just has to remove his bandages; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to move." Chris said, just as she sneezed. "Huh… I guess someone must be talking about me."

"Since when did you become superstitious, Chris?" Jin asked jokingly, before he chuckled a bit. "But they have been in there for ten minutes now… it doesn't usually take that long, does it?"

The one who was the most silent of the group, however, was Zugai, as he only looked at the door in anticipation. _C'mon, get out…_ he thought, as he held his hands tightly. Then, all of a sudden, the door slammed open, and in the doorway, Nampu stood, completely free of both injuries and bandages.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I walk again!" he called, as he stretched out his arms. "Hug me!" he added, though the only thing he got to this was Ryozo lightly pushing him into the crowd, comically enough causing him to lose balance, toppling on the deck face-first.

"You can't stand around and hog the entrance all day, you know." Ryozo said, as he exited the infirmary, closing the door behind him. "So, captain, ready to tell him?"

As he got up, Nampu blinked, as he looked curiously at Zugai. "Ready to tell me what?" he asked, just as Haze handed Zugai eleven posters.

"Well… take a look for yourself." Zugai said, as he showed Nampu the eleven posters, containing all their newfound bounties. With a gasp, Nampu quickly grabbed all of them, reading them.

"Holy cow, all of us has gotten a bounty! This is so awesome!" Nampu laughed, when he stopped himself, noticing something. Then, after comparing bounties, he sighed. "But I'm still the one with the lowest…" he muttered, which was more than enough to make the entire crew (sans Omega) to break into laughter, which Nampu immediately joined in on. All in all, this day would seem to be perfectly normal.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, I wanted to do this sort of thing for a while, showing several different characters' reactions to our wanted buddies. So, new character roll-call! The Blue Lightning Pirates belong to **SeeNoEvil121**, Sakura and Rickman are made by **Kisdota-the Freak Gamer**, Harvey's done by **BigEd 45**, and Sage is done by **Dr. merrytime**.

Now, I'd like to ask you something; I've got two ideas for what the next arc should be; a new crewmate joining, or the official mark of KC and Krystal becoming a couple (don't play dumb, you all knew that the day would come). So, which would you rather see happening first? Just remember to read and review, and we'll see what you people want first!

**YolkaEd**


	60. The Dead Island!

On an island on the Grand Line, one would find that absolutely nothing there was alive. The ground was cracked and dry from lack of rain, the blades of grass were naught but grains of sand, and there didn't even seem to be any color there; it was a gray island, void of life.

Well, there was some speck of life there, but it was minimal. Right now, that speck was sitting in an abandoned house, alone in the dark, playing a melancholy piece of music on a piano. This character didn't say anything, but one could tell that had she not been playing, she'd be as void of life as the rest of the island.

However, the sound of something chirping behind her made her stop, as she turned around in her stool, only to see a small mouse looking up at her. As a small smile crawled over her lips, she slowly reached her hands down to the mouse, so it could climb up into her hands.

But the moment it did so, it suddenly stirred, before it collapsed in her hands, stone dead. The girl could only look at the mouse for a while, the same smile still on her lips, before it slowly vanished, leaving her emotionless frown once more. With a dreary sigh, she placed the mouse's body in a small box close-by her piano, before she resumed playing the same, melancholy piece of music…

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**The Dead Island!**

**A Monster Known as 'The Reaper's Daughter'**

* * *

The day was fading into evening, as the Howling Moon sailed towards its next destination. At the moment, some of the crewmembers were in the kitchen, talking about what the island could be, whilst others were doing other activities; Zugai, for instance, had locked himself in his workshop, whilst Jin was by the front of the ship, looking for the island, and Omega was sitting in the crow's nest, reading a book by himself.

After a while, however, he put the book down, closing his eyes, before placing his hand over his stomach. _It's been… five years since we fled from the Marines._ he thought, as he clenched his hand ever so slightly into a fist, as if he was gripping at his stomach. _And it's been three years since we began working under Wana. I haven't given it much thought, but…_

"_There's a lot you don't know about this world, and there's stuff I'm sure no one knows about you… so when you meet someone you can associate yourself with, they'll understand how you work!"_

Remembering those words, Omega opened his eyes, looking down at his stomach. _I know that I'm a part of this crew now, but… am I really ready to reveal these? _he thought, before he opened his hand again. _…maybe I should consult Zugai about-_

"Omega!" The sudden sound of someone calling for him ripped Omega away from his train of thought, as he looked around to see where the voice came from. "No, I'm down here!" Blinking, Omega looked down at the deck, to see Haze waving up at him. "What're you doing up in the crow's nest? I thought that scouting ahead was my responsibility!"

"You weren't up here, so I decided to take some time to read." Omega responded bluntly, before he tilted his head. "But more importantly, Haley, why did you call for me?"

"Well… just a little something I thought you could help me with!" Haze replied, before motioning for the cyborg to come down. "C'mon, it'll be fun! And it could be informative, to boot!"

With a simple shrug, the cyborg jumped out of the crow's nest, landing on the deck with a thud, which startled Haze to some degree. "Alright, Haley, what is it that you've got planned?"

Hearing this, Haze laughed, as she rubbed the back of her head. "Well, it's not really what _I've _planned…" she began, before motioning towards the door to Zugai's workshop, where Craigmirra, Nampu and Maria were standing. "But it's more what _they've_ planned!"

Blinking, Omega looked at the three pirates, before he folded his arms. "Alright, what are you scheming? I have been observing your general behavior in the time I've been part of this crew, so it's likely bound to be something reckless." he said in the same neutral tone as he always spoke in, but he was smirking a little bit, indicating that he wasn't as serious about this as one would expect.

"W-well…" Maria began, as she scratched her cheek bashfully. "Y-you see… out of all the rooms on the Moon… w-we've never been inside of Zugai's workshop. Not any of us…"

"Yeah, not even I've been in there!" Nampu said, as he scratched his head. "Man, with all the hush-hush, it makes you think about what he's doing in there…"

Omega blinked again, as he looked at the door. "So… all you're planning on doing is to get inside of Zugai's workshop?" he asked, as the quartet nodded.

"I've always wondered what Zugai does in there, too!" Craigmirra shot in, as she clenched her fists. "Maybe, just maybe, he's building a portal to a magical land filled with cuteness, candy and cranberries! Or maybe it leads to Pinkland! I've got to visit that place, and if he's building-"

"Okay, I've got no idea what Shin usually serves you, but you probably need to lay off the sugar, Craigmirra." Haze shot in, rubbing Craigmirra's head a bit, before looking at Omega. "I'm just in on this because I'm a tad curious; judging from how the ship's built, the ladder in the storage room should lead up to his workshop, but when I've tried opening it, it won't budge. It's like someone's purposefully blocking any entry there."

Omega nodded, before he looked at Nampu. "I'm guessing that you're the mastermind, so what brilliant plan do you have in store for getting inside of Zugai's workshop?" he asked, which got Nampu thinking.

"Well, here's something I got…" Nampu began, as he rubbed his hands together. "We get Shin to cook up his favorite dish, and when he's distracted with eating it, we storm the place! Brilliant, isn't it?"

"That sounds like a plan!" Haze said, as she folded her arms, looking at Nampu. "So, what's his favorite dish?"

However, instead of coming up with an answer right away, Nampu simply shrugged. "Beats me, really. As far as I'm concerned, he'll eat anything he's served, no questions asked."

Of course, this reply got him some confused looks from everyone around him, something he was quick to note. "You… you don't know?" Maria asked, as she scratched her head. "I was under the impression that you and he… well, came from the same island, or at least…" she began, though she wasn't too sure on how to continue the sentence.

Craigmirra, however, knew perfectly well how to continue it. "Yeah, you guys lived together on the same island, right? How come that you can't even know what his favorite dish is?"

Nampu shrugged. "Hey, like I said, the guy eats anything he's served, so I don't know if there's anything specific that he likes to eat. But that isn't gonna be a problem, right?"

Haze couldn't help but groan, as she pressed her fingers against her temples in frustration. "Well, that makes the food-plan fall flat, doesn't it? Anyone got any other ideas?" she asked, though before anyone could answer her question, they heard someone knock on something, and to their horror, they saw that Omega was actually knocking on the door leading into Zugai's workshop.

Then, the door was unlocked, and opened just a bit, though it was enough for Nampu, Craigmirra, Maria and Haze to speed towards the mast, hiding behind it as Zugai peered his head out from the door, looking at Omega. "Oh, hi, Omega. Something on your mind?" Zugai asked, as he noticed the quartet hiding behind the mast. "And why are you guys hiding like that?"

"Never mind them, Zugai." Omega began, before he scratched the back of his head. "I was just wondering about something; what food product do you enjoy the most?"

Zugai blinked at this question, before he rubbed his chin in thought. "What food product…" he repeated, before he snapped his fingers. "Anything made from milk powder or molasses. And then there's hazelnuts and almonds, and I do like eggs a bit… why do you ask?"

"No special reason." Omega said, before he folded his arms. "By the way, would it be too much to ask if I might see your workshop from the inside?" he asked, which was more than enough to make the quartet silently yell in shock, their mouths wide open at Omega's forward approach to getting into Zugai's workshop.

"Well, not at the moment." Zugai said, before he looked back inside of the workshop. "I'm busy working on something at the moment, and I don't really like letting people see the unfinished product." Then, he turned back to face Omega. "When I'm done, if you're still interested, I could show you around. But I've got to go now; the forge isn't gonna heat itself!" Then, he vanished into the workshop, locking the door behind him.

"Hm… I wonder what he's working on." Omega hummed, before he looked at the quartet, all four of them still paralyzed with shock. "Is something wrong?"

"Something wrong? Are you kidding?" Nampu finally spoke up, before he emerged from behind the mast, walking up to the cyborg with a look of disbelief on his face. "I mean, you just… and he… and the plan… we don't even need the plan, that's what's got me riled up!"

"To think that all we had to do was ask…" Maria shot in, as she looked at the door for a while. "…and he likes almonds? You learn something new every day, it seems…"

"So all we have to do now is to wait for him to finish up with what he's making?" Craigmirra said, as she walked up to Omega. "Hey, don't you have X-ray, or something? Can't you see what he's making, pretty please?" she asked, as she made her eyes really beady, cupping her hands and looking pleadingly up at the cyborg.

"I could, I suppose…" Omega began, as he looked at the door for a moment. "…but that would be rude, wouldn't it? Especially since he's bound to show us what he's making when he's done."

Hearing this, Craigmirra couldn't help but pout, as she folded her arms. "Is that how it is, huh…" she muttered, before she suddenly began roaring. "He said he likes eggs, so I'm gonna make him eggs!" she yelled, before she rushed towards the kitchen, leaving the others behind.

"Huh… that was a sudden change, if I ever saw one." Haze said with a shrug, before she stretched out. "Well, it's getting late. I should probably get ready for watch-duty."

"Not without getting some grub, Haze!" Nampu said, as he grabbed Haze by the wrist, before marching towards the kitchen. "I wonder if Shin can make some oden; I'm feeling up for that, I can tell you!"

As the two vanished into the kitchen, Omega and Maria were left to their own devices. "Um… m-maybe we should follow them, Omega?" Maria asked, as she looked up at the cyborg in a slightly timid fashion, which Omega didn't seem to notice.

"You can go, but I feel that I should see how Jinketsu is doing; he's been at the front of the ship for quite some time." Omega replied, as he began walking towards the front of the ship, and Maria, in a bit of a fuss, went to the kitchen.

By the front, Jin was busy drawing something on a sheet of paper, taking great care in the detail he put into it. However, the sound of Omega approaching led to him putting the paper aside for a moment, before looking towards the cyborg. "Oh, hiya, Omega! I haven't seen the island yet, if that's what you're wondering about." he said, before he looked back towards the horizon.

"I wasn't going to ask of that…" Omega began, as he sat down next to Jin, looking towards the horizon as well. "Everyone on the ship, save for us two and Zugai, are currently in the kitchen. Perhaps we should follow their example?" he asked, though Jin didn't seem to hear him; he had noticed something in the distance.

"That… it couldn't be…" Jin uttered, before he looked towards Omega. "Hey, since you're a cyborg, wouldn't you happen to have some sort of eyesight that lets you zoom in on things way out in the distance?" he asked, before pointing ahead. "Because I think I see something in the distance there. Think you can scope what it is?"

With a brief nod, Omega blinked a few times, his eyes widening ever so slightly. Though only nobody could see what he did, he was letting his eyes zoom in on whatever Jin had spotted in the distance, and after a while… "That appears to be an island." he finally said, just as Jin looked at his Log Pose.

"The Log's pointing directly at it…" Jin uttered, before he suddenly cheered. "Finally! The next island is within spitting distance! I'll go and alert the rest of the guys right now!" he said, before he rushed back towards the main deck, leaving Omega by himself.

"Hmm… the youth of this generation, acting like that…" he muttered, before smiling a tiny bit. "Like it or not, I'll have to abide by it. Now, what kind of island will we encounter?"

* * *

The island the Howling Moon was now anchored by was, needless to say, lifeless. The ground was cracked, the flora was wilted and dried up, and the entire island felt gray and cold just from the looks of it. At the moment, every sailor onboard the pirate ship was looking at this desolate place with mixed feelings. "What kind of place is this?" Krystal uttered, as she eyed the island. "It's unlike anything I've seen in my life…"

"Yeah, I'm getting the creeps from just looking at it." Shin shot in, as she couldn't help but shudder at the sight, her arms folded. "Hell, I don't think there's anyone even living here."

"An island void of life…" KC uttered, before he scratched his head. "But how are we gonna find out how long it'll take for the Log to set without anyone living here?" he asked, as he looked at Zugai curiously.

"First off, we're going to have to see if anyone does live here." Zugai said, before he jumped on shore, looking up at the Howling Moon. "Chris, Ryozo, you two can come with me. We'll comb through the island quicker with more people on the case."

With a nod, the doctor and the thief leapt off the boat, before they followed Zugai up towards a path leading to a small, desolate town, with only a few houses scattered about, all of them run-down. "Sheesh… talk about a cheerful place." Chris uttered, as she looked at the buildings. "Do you guys think that pirates did all this?"

"I doubt it." Ryozo said, as he shook his head. "I've never heard of pirates that are able to suck the life out of an entire island in the literal sense. Maybe it's the work of a Devil Fruit user?"

"Whatever the case, stay alert." Zugai said, before he looked towards a larger house, which seemed to be in worse condition than the others. "I'll check out that place; if anything tries attacking me, make sure to be ready to back me up." he said, before he made his way to the house, leaving Chris and Ryozo to split up to search the other houses.

The moment Zugai stepped into the run-down house, he was met with almost complete darkness; only a window helped create some light for him to be able to see. However, even with the lack of lighting, he could still see one thing quite clearly; a large piano, with a cloaked person sitting on a stool, its upper body lying sprawled over the closed piano-lid covering the keyboard; it was asleep. As he could make out, the cloak was made out of rags, and a hood concealed this person's face.

Out of curiosity, he stepped closer to this cloaked figure, trying to get a good look at its face, though from the angle the figure was sleeping in, he couldn't get a good look of it. "Um, hello?" he said, trying to wake the figure up without being too rude. However, it failed, as the figure remained asleep. With a shrug, he moved his right hand to lightly shake the figure's shoulder. "Hey, are you-"

The moment he touched this figure, however, he felt a sudden jolt of pain go through his chest, and he felt that his entire body was weakening; despite this, he couldn't move his hand away from the figure. As his breathing began shorter and quicker in pace, he fell to his knees, grabbing hold of his chest with his left hand, though it only got worse and worse, to the point where he began losing consciousness. "Kh…" he wheezed, before his eyelids lowered, and he fell on his back, his eyes rolling upwards so only the sclera were visible, though one could tell that they were blood-shot.

However, the figure had woken up from being grabbed by Zugai, and as it looked at his body, it gasped. "No… don't tell me that…" the figure said, as the voice revealed her to be female. In desperation, she looked around her wildly, before looking at Zugai's body, which was convulsing erratically, as one could practically hear his heart beat at an unnerving pace. "No… ANYONE! PLEASE, IF THERE'S ANYONE HERE, HELP!" she suddenly yelled, and thankfully, that was enough to earn both Chris' and Ryozo's attention, as they rushed into the building, where they saw the cloaked girl standing over Zugai's body.

"Oh my god! Zugai!" Ryozo exclaimed, as he rushed towards his captain's side, before placing his hand over Zugai's chest. "No… this is bad! He's suffered a myocardial infarction!" he said, before he quickly got Zugai on his shoulders. "We've got to get him back to the ship, Chris; he's gone into cardiac arrest!" he said, before he rushed out of the building, leaving Chris and the girl in the building.

"Cardiac arrest…?" Chris uttered, before she looked at the girl, a horrified, yet at the same time angered look on her face. "You. I don't know who you are, but from the looks of it, you were the only one here with Zugai. What happened here?" When the girl didn't answer, Chris suddenly grabbed her shoulders, shaking her wildly. "Answer me! What the hell happened?!"

"I…" the girl began, before she looked into the ground, as she began sobbing. "I didn't mean it… but I gave him a heart attack." she sobbed, which caused Chris to let go of her, her anger quickly fading away, replaced with confusion and shock. "I didn't mean to do it… I really didn't…"

* * *

**A/N: **Well, the majority has spoken! Sorry for not getting anything out sooner, but the net's been acting up for a while here. Apologies for the length (or lack thereof), as well! Now, this mysterious girl is made by **Kisdota-the Freak Gamer**, for your information. So, what shall this new arc entail? Well, just remember to read and review, and we'll find out, won't we?

**YolkaEd**


	61. Yu's Story!

A distance away from the island our heroes found themselves on, a black, very large ship was sailing towards it. It was a pirate ship, which was apparent from the Jolly Roger proudly adorned on the main sails; a mask with a sad look on it, akin to those found in theatres, wearing a tricorn hat, with the traditional crossbones behind it. At the moment, in a darkened cabin, two people were conversing, a single candle providing them light enough to see one another.

"So, was that all that your captain had to say?" one of them said, as he was pressing his fingers against one another. Like the Jolly Roger, he wore a mask with the same kind of sad look, along with a tricorn hat. His entire body was covered in a cloak, thus making it impossible to see anything underneath it.

"That was the gist of it." the other man said, as he held his hands together, close to his own body. He was a fairly short man, with short brown hair on his head. He wore a pair of black glasses, a green shirt, brown slack and a pair of loafers. "So, if possible, he'd love for you to attend the meeting he's holding next week, Fate-Stringer."

The masked man scoffed, without removing his fingers from each other. "And what makes you think that I wish to attend? I have better things to do than to answer to Western snobs like him."

The short man couldn't help but let a short chuckle out, before he rose from his seat. "You would do well to mind your manners around him, though, Fate-Stringer. He may not look like it, but he doesn't like naysayers. Of course, you wouldn't know a man of his caliber like I do, would you?"

The masked man scoffed once more, without even bothering moving from his seat. "I suppose you can't see a snob for what he really is… but then again, you likely can't see much beforehand, Batboy."

Gritting his teeth in anger, the short man quickly turned away from the masked man, heading for the door. "He will be expecting you, Fate-Stringer, so don't keep him waiting. You would be wise to keep that in mind." Then, as he opened the door, the masked man could see his silhouette changing form, growing a pair of leathery wings, before he took flight, away from the ship.

"Hmph… I'll deal with that annoyance when the time comes." the masked man said, extinguishing the candle, before he left the cabin, looking to his left, where a large, black man stood with his arms folded. He had dreadlocks going down past his shoulders, along with a goatee, and he wore a leather jacket, a white, sleeveless shirt underneath that, baggy jeans and light-brown boots with the same Jolly Roger as on the sail. "Francis. How much did you hear?"

"All of it, captain." Francis replied, a British accent clearly detectable in his voice. "Do you intend to honor the invitation?"

"Frankly, I believe that we have more important things on our hands." the masked man replied, before he looked up at the night sky. "Gina, Anig, Kakutsu, Beppin, come here!"

All of a sudden, four people emerged from various places on the ship, coming up to the main deck where Francis and the masked man stood. Two of the persons were female, and were almost completely identical in terms of appearance; they had blue hair going down to their shoulders, and both of them wore white, Chinese-style shirts with the shoulder-parts cut off, leaving the sleeves unconnected with the main shirt. They also wore purple pants with some golden, oriental markings on them, and a pair of slip-on shoes. The only thing that was an apparent difference between them was the fact that while one of them had a scar across her left eye, the other had a scar across her right eye.

The only male of the four newcomers was wearing a black beanie, along with a black, sleeveless, short jacket, and a black shirt. He also wore black pants and boots. His eyes were void of any pupils, as well, which was his most noticeable feature. The last of this group was also a woman; she had green eyes and her hair was blonde, tied in a pony-tail, and she wore a dark-blue trench coat, a white shirt underneath the coat, white silk pants, and brown boots. Her most noticeable feature was, without a doubt, her breasts, which were at least D-cup, and neither her coat nor shirt did any good job at concealing her cleavage. "Captain Seigyoki. What do we owe the pleasure to?" the blonde woman said, as she winked seductively at the masked man, who didn't seem to be affected by this at all.

"There's no need for nonsense." Seigyoki said bluntly, before he folded his hands behind his back. "We'll soon be at Tataruramu Island. If getting the Reaper's Daughter into this crew didn't work when you four went after her one by one…" he began, when he noticed the identical women raise their eyebrows. "…or as a pair, in some cases… then frankly, I need to see how she works if she could outsmart all of you."

"It's not a matter of her outsmarting us…" the girl with the scar over her left eye said, as she folded her arms, before giving the girl with the scar over her right eye a look.

"…but rather, it's a matter of her ability being strong." she finished, as she looked at the girl with the scar over her left eye, just before both of them looked at Seigyoki again.

"So is my ability." he said, before turning away from them, slowly heading into his cabin. "I'll give you all one last chance at getting her on this ship. Francis will be assisting you. And be aware, Blackmouth Pirates…" he said, before looking back at the four, all of them who suddenly got intimidated by that look. "…the consequences for failure will be dire." Then, he entered his cabin, closing the door behind him.

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Yu's Story!**

**The Most Fearsome Devil Fruit, Botsu Botsu no Mi****?**

* * *

The atmosphere aboard the Howling Moon was, without a shred of doubt, tense. Right now, all but two crewmembers of the Cross Skull Pirates were gathered in the kitchen, a glum silence among them. The ones absent were Zugai and Ryozo, both of them currently in the infirmary, with Ryozo attempting to keep Zugai in a stable condition.

However, the tenseness of the remaining pirates could be contributed to another factor; sitting with her back against the wall was the cloaked girl Chris and Ryozo had found by Zugai's body, silently chewing on a green apple. As some of the pirates could see, a few strands of blonde hair were visible from underneath the hood she used to cover her face, though that was all they could make out; her eyes were hidden underneath the hood.

The sound of a door opening brought the pirates attention towards the entrance, where Ryozo now stood, in complete silence. After a short while, Nampu rose from his seat. "Well? Is he…"

Ryozo closed his eyes, as he closed the door behind him. "…he'll live." he finally said, which sent a wave of relief over the Cross Skull Pirates. "But his condition is critical, so he'll need all the rest he can get. I doubt that he'll be out of bed until tomorrow afternoon, so we're gonna have to stay here for a while."

"Thank god…" Haze sighed, as she wiped her brow. "That was a shocker; him suddenly falling into cardiac arrest, of all things. I'm glad he's okay."

"Yeah… but now…" Chris said, as she stood up as well, looking at the cloaked girl. "…I think it's time we got some answers." Then, she moved towards the girl, before kneeling so that her head was level with the cloaked girl's. "Speak up; what happened? And who are you?"

The girl didn't reply at first, as she took a bite out of the apple, before silently placing it next to her. "…I'm Yu." she finally said, without looking up at Chris. One could tell that she had gotten over having almost killed Zugai, as she didn't speak in a fearful or lamenting tone, but rather an emotionless, sort of negative tone. "I'm sorry for doing that to your captain; I wasn't expecting anyone different from them to appear on this island."

"Look, I don't know who the heck 'them' are supposed to be…" Craigmirra said, as she jumped off her seat, before moving closer to Yu, a fierce look on her face. "…but I want to know what you did to Zugai! How'd he get cordially arrested, huh?"

"It's called 'cardiac arrest', Craigmirra." Omega shot in, as he looked at Yu from his seat. "But in truth, I am curious as to how our captain fell under such a condition to begin with. Apart from wounds that had long since healed, he's been fairly healthy. Is it the work of a Devil Fruit?"

Yu nodded slowly, as she picked up the half-eaten apple again, looking at it intensely. "The Botsu Botsu no Mi. Simply put, it's a Devil Fruit that has the ability to kill. Observe." Then, the apple in her hands began withering, instantly drying up, before it no longer looked edible. "Anything that I touch, or anything that touches me, risks death, whether it is flora, fauna or human beings."

Seeing the withering apple, both Chris and Craigmirra backed a bit away from Yu, whilst Shin actually got out of her seat, walking towards Yu, before grabbing the dead apple, looking curiously at it. "Well, I'll be damned… a single touch is deadly, huh? That must be pretty inconvenient for anyone who gets on your bad side."

"It was. At least ten years ago." Yu began, shuddering at that thought. "I learned to master the ability five years ago, though, so I can control whether or not anyone dies whilst in contact with me. Coincidentally… five years ago, I became the very last living thing on this island."

Hearing this, Krystal eyed Yu curiously. "What do you mean? You spent five years… all by yourself?"

"No, not really…" Yu began, before she looked down at the floor. "Eight years ago, I began playing the piano, to keep my thoughts on the future, and not the past. And there have been ships sailing past the island, with some small animals getting to this island from them… but a ship with any mice and rats haven't come to this island in ages, and no ship has anchored here for that time period, either."

"Five years all alone…" Maria uttered, as she looked at Yu sympathetically; she could relate to something like that, with absolutely nobody to care for her whilst she was a slave. "B-but… why isn't there any other people living on this island?"

Giving out a sigh, Yu lifted her head slightly, giving the impression that she was looking at Maria, though her hood obscured it from view. "It's a long story, and… well, it's a tragic one to boot. I don't want to dampen the mood here much further, especially after-"

"Tell the story." Nampu suddenly said, as he had taken his seat again, looking at Yu neutrally. "Since we're staying on this island for a while, we might as well listen to what you have to say. It's not like the Log is gonna settle right now, right?"

With a brief nod, Yu looked back at the floor. "Alright… like I said, ten years ago, my powers were quite inconvenient… in fact, I got them that day. It's a day I'll never forget…"

"_M-mama?" a small, blonde-haired girl uttered, as she looked at a motionless body lying on the floor of a house, without any sign of life in her whatsoever. "Mama? Come on, mama, get up…" she said, as she tried her best to pull the body up from the floor, but to no avail; the motionless body was simply too heavy for her._

"_Wha... what happened here?" a male voice said, just as the girl turned around, to see a taller man standing in the doorway, a horrified expression on his face. Quickly, he rushed towards the body, and immediately upon feeling the body's pulse, cradled the body in his arms, eventually breaking out into small sobs. "…what happened?" he finally said, throwing the girl a deadly glare, as he stood up._

"_I… I don't know, papa!" the girl began, as she looked from the body to the man, a confused look on her face. "I… I just hugged mama after my walk on the shore, and when I was gonna tell her about this fruit I found, she fell on the floor! What's wrong with her, papa?"_

_The man looked at her with an enraged look. "What do you think is wrong with her?!" he yelled, before aiming a slap at the girl's cheek, which sent her tumbling to the floor. However, the moment his hand got in contact with her, he clasped his chest in pain, before sinking to the floor, his body going limp._

"_Pa… papa?" the girl uttered, as she crawled towards the man from where she sat, looking positively shocked, as she shook his body to see if he was awake as well. "Come on, papa, this isn't funny…" she said, but without any response, she backed away from the bodies. Then, she suddenly ran away from the two, quickly exiting the house she lived in, headed towards a town square. "Hey! Anyone! You have to help mama and papa! They're not moving, and-"_

_Suddenly, she tripped, and landed on a small patch of grass that happened to be on the road. However, in doing so, the grass suddenly withered and died, as this decaying vegetation spread across the fields, which some of the townspeople happened to notice. Immediately, various cries of panic roared through the town, and even as she got up and went into the square, just about everyone fled from her. "W-wait, you have to help mama and papa! Don't run! Please, help them!"_

"On that very day, not only did my parents lose their lives…" Yu said, as she held her hands together in regret. "…but over 50% of the island's entire population evacuated the island. The rest followed suite during that same week."

As she had both foretold and expected, all of those present, save for Omega, seemed quite glum at only hearing that story. "Man, that's harsh…" KC sighed, as he scratched his forehead. "If that had been me, I wouldn't know what to do with myself."

"I told you that it was tragic." Yu responded, without looking up at any of those present. "I didn't know what had happened until I found a book chronicling various Devil Fruit types. And wouldn't you know it? That very same fruit I was going to tell mother about…"

"The Botsu Botsu no Mi." Omega said bluntly, as he closed his eyes. "You didn't take it well, I can imagine."

"You're right. I couldn't stop crying for days when I learnt of what I had caused…" Yu began, as she got on her feet. "…but even after mastering the abilities I got from the fruit, there still won't be anyone living on this island but me. I wish that one day, people will come back and live here, like it used to be."

After a brief silence, Jin cleared his throat to gather attention to himself. "I hate to break up this, but I do have to ask… how long does it take for the Log to set on this island?" he asked, as Yu looked at him.

"I think it was… seven, eight hours. You should be able to leave by morning, if that's what you intend." she replied, before she turned away from them. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go back to my piano. I hope that your captain recovers as quickly as he can…"

"Oh, no, you don't." Ryozo suddenly spoke up, as when Yu tried leaving through the door, he stood in front of it to prevent her from leaving. "First off, I want you to explain something. You claimed that you mastered your powers, yet by touching you, Zugai entered cardiac arrest. Since it couldn't be an accident, it must be something else. So what's the deal?"

With a brief scoff, Yu tried pushing herself past Ryozo, but to no avail. "That's none of your business. Now let me leave."

"Not until you talk." Chris retorted, as she grabbed hold of Yu's hood, which she pulled on to get Yu back into the kitchen, all whilst Yu made sure that Chris didn't pull it off. "You almost made our captain lose our life, and if it wasn't an accident, someone else is after you, right?"

"Not to mention that you said something about 'them' earlier." KC noted, as he looked at Yu curiously. "So who are these people you talked about?"

With a sigh, Yu turned to face the pirates. "When I said that ships hadn't anchored here… there is one exception. A black ship, as dark as the night itself, came to this island once. No, make that… thrice."

"Thrice?" Shin inquired, as she looked at Yu with a raised eyebrow. "If no ship bothered to anchor here even once, why would a single one bother coming here three times?"

"Apparently, some of the people from this island began spreading rumors about me." Yu sighed, before she looked out of the door, though she didn't attempt to leave this time around. "Rumors of a monster prowling this island… they've even nicknamed me The Reaper's Daughter… at first, I thought that it would make people avoid this island… but I was wrong."

Jin blinked, as he looked at Yu, who seemed a bit frightened at the thought of that black ship. "…that ship. Who was on it?"

"Not many." Yu replied, without turning back to face Jin. "In fact, all the times that ship came here, only one person was aboard it, a different one each time. First, there was a blonde woman… then there was a bald man… and then there were two twin girls. They wanted me to join a group they called… the Blackmouth Pirates."

As she said this, both Haze and Maria looked at her with shocked looks on their faces. "The Blackmouths?!" both of them exclaimed with equal amounts of surprise. "Aren't they worth at least 700 million Beri combined?!" Haze continued, as Yu looked back at her.

"I wouldn't know; I've never heard of them before." Yu replied, before she looked away again. "But I couldn't bring myself to joining them. When I asked them about their captain, they wouldn't say anything without growing concerned. It's as if they fear him…" Then, she looked down at the floor again. "If a captain is so cruel that even his crewmates fear him, then I want no part with them."

"But they've asked you repeatedly." Omega guessed, and given Yu's nodding, the guess was likely correct. "Is that a reason behind what happened to Zugai?"

"Well, since I was awake, I could repel them if they tried attacking me. But if I were asleep, I would be unable to drive them off." Yu replied. "That's why I practiced letting my powers stay active when I'm asleep, so if they tried grabbing me, they would suffer a heart attack, and in turn, leave before they'd…"

"But…" Nampu began, as he scratched his head. "If you've got the ability to kill anyone you touch, wouldn't it be in your best interest to just kill them if they continue harassing you?"

However, as he said this, Yu suddenly spun around, glaring at Nampu, though with the hood covering her eyes, one couldn't see the mixture of anger and distress in her eyes. "I won't! Death isn't anything I'd wish or inflict on anyone! No matter who it may be, I've sworn to never kill anyone ever again!"

"Some irony…" Ryozo sighed, as he leant against the door, glancing at Yu in the corner of his eye. "A woman who has the ability to kill with a single touch, vowed to never kill anyone she meets. I don't think it'll be so easy to keep to that word, though…"

Before anyone could reply to this, all of a sudden, a massive tremor suddenly made most of the pirates collapse on the floor, the exceptions being Omega, Haze and Ryozo. "Wha-wha-wha-wha-what's going on?!" Craigmirra exclaimed, as she looked around her, unaware of what had happened.

Krystal, however, quickly realized what the problem was. "There's someone outside!" she said, before she ran outside, quickly followed by everyone except for Haze and Yu. There, standing on the deck, was a large, black man, in equal size to Omega, who had dreadlocks going down past his shoulders, along with a goatee, and he wore a leather jacket, a white, sleeveless shirt underneath that, baggy jeans and light-brown boots.

"My apologies for arriving unannounced, old chaps." the black man said in a dignified British accent, before he looked at the pirates gathered before him. "My name is Francis Yuhukitaru, first mate of the Blackmouth Pirates. And you are the Cross Skull Pirates, correct?" he said, as he folded his arms. "Where's your captain, 'Demon's Orthopedic' Zugai Hibiware?"

"…r-right now, he's resting." Nampu spoke up, as he stepped forward, looking up at the much taller man. "I'm the first mate of the crew, Nampu Kiyasui!"

"Ah, yes, the Unpredictable Storm." Francis said with a nod, as he looked down at Nampu. "Then that must mean that you're the acting commander as of now. If you don't mind, I would like to have a chat with you."

* * *

**A/N: **I got this one out quicker than I honestly expected, which really surprised me. Anyway, the Blackmouth Pirates are made by **Alter Shead**, and as for the short guy… well, we'll keep him in the dark for later, won't we? So, what's going to happen now? Remember to read and review, and you'll find out in chapter 62!

…wait, did I just rhyme?

**YolkaEd**


	62. Blackmouth Rumble part 1

Fairly close to the Howling Moon, a pitch-black ship had just weighed anchor, as four people observed the ivory ship with interest. "Can you believe that he jumped all the way from here to there?" a blonde woman said, as she folded her arms, shaking her head. "I swear, he can't just walk, like normal people."

"How do you define normal?" the only male member of the group said, as he was putting on a pair of bizarrely-shaped gloves, with what appeared to be guillotine-blades coming out from the palms of them.

"Ugh, you know what I mean." the blonde replied surly, as she gave the man a brief glare, before looking back at the ivory ship. "That flag… they're a bunch of rookies, right? I'm surprised that the Puppet Master didn't decide to test the mettle of these rookies."

"Maybe he did test them, but…" one of the twins began, as both of them were holding what seemed to be talwar swords, letting them rest on their shoulders.

"…perhaps they were stronger than he anticipated." the other twin finished, as both of them looked at the blonde, who only rolled his eyes in response to this.

"Yeah, like 25 is gonna do any good against 370." she muttered sarcastically, before she pulled out a tri-barreled pistol, which was actually a bit bigger than the standard pistols one would see, almost comparable to a sawn-off shotgun. "Well, when Francis finally decides to show up, we'll find out where the Reaper's Daughter is hiding now, and get off this rock; it's not gonna do wonders for my hair, you know."

As the quartet conversed, inside of the captain's cabin, Seigyoki also observed the ivory ship, though ultimately looked away from it with a scoff, before reading through some wanted posters. _The Reaper's Daughter… let us see just how related she really is to the reaper. _he thought to himself.

* * *

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Blackmouth Rumble part 1**

**Cunning of the Storm!**

* * *

Once more, the atmosphere in the kitchen of the Howling Moon, where all but two of the Cross Skull Pirates were gathered, was tense. But this time around, it was for a completely different reason, as those absent were Zugai, who was still in the infirmary, and Nampu, who was currently discussing something with Francis out on the deck. Whilst the crewmembers and Haze were just sitting by the ivory table and minding their business, they had taken a precaution to hide Yu underneath the table, concealing her almost perfectly.

The only one who wasn't sitting was Omega, who was standing by the door, as some sort of bouncer, his arms folded, and a stern expression on his face. _The Blackmouth Pirates… this doesn't look good._ he thought to himself.

Out on the deck, right by the mast, Francis was sitting down Indian style, with his legs crossed over one another, whilst Nampu merely stood and watched the foreign pirate. "So, you come from East Blue, do you not?" Francis said, as he held his hands together whilst eyeing Nampu. "It's fairly hard to believe that any crew from those waters could survive on the Grand Line, after the Second Pirate King passed away."

"Well, most of the crew comes from East Blue, to my knowledge." Nampu said, as he scratched the back of his neck. "If I'm not mistaken, the only ones not from East Blue are Omega, Ryozo, Maria and Zugai himself; he was left on my home island thirteen years ago by some pirates."

"I see…" Francis said with a nod. "And how were those years on your island?" he asked, though he didn't get much of an answer, apart from a guilty look on Nampu's face. "I beg your pardon, but did I step over any boundaries?"

"Oh, no, it's… nothing, really." Nampu said, as he shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the guilty look, which worked somewhat. "It's in the past, and we ought to look ahead, right?" he added with a weak laugh.

"Hmm… right." Francis said, as he closed his eyes, smiling a bit. "I did wonder why the one with the lowest bounty was considered first mate of the crew, rather than the second-most wanted. If your captain trusts you enough for that position, then ensure that you do not dishonor that title. It's the greatest shame one can bring one's captain."

"Yeah, I know that." Nampu replied, as he folded his arms, trying to keep a serious expression. "So, let's cut to the chase; what do you want?"

The smile faded, as Francis finally stood up, looking right down at Nampu. It was only now that it really occurred to Nampu that Francis was enormous; he stood at least one head over Omega, who already surpassed Zugai's height by five inches. "Straight to the chase… I will not beat around the bush anymore, then. My crew came to this island to find an individual known as The Reaper's Daughter. Surely, you've heard of her?" he said, as he raised an eyebrow.

Nampu blinked, before shaking his head, looking up at Francis with the same expression. "Nope, can't really say that I do. I don't really follow the news too much, you see." It was a blatant lie, but Nampu figured that if he played dumb…

"But she is on this ship, no?" Francis asked, as he folded his arms as well. "Our scout combed this entire island in the span of two minutes, and found no trace of her. This is the only spot he has not searched, so she has to be here."

"Sorry, but we really haven't seen anything like that." Nampu said with a shrug, keeping his expression the same. "Maybe she's left the island. Maybe she's gone underground. Who knows?"

"Storm, I have no quarrel with you, your captain, or your crew." Francis spoke up, as he closed his eyes, before inhaling and exhaling, preparing for some sort of speech. "But… if you do not decide to cooperate properly, the Blackmouth Pirates will have to take drastic measures."

"What kind of drastic measures?" Nampu asked in return, as he placed one of his hands on his left hip. "If you're talking about a fight, you should be careful; this _is_ the crew that took out Shieki Dokusai, despite half of our crew being women." Not that he believed that Shieki was really dead, after what Zugai had told him of the 'corpse' they had found on Seisabetsu Island, but he felt that it still deserved some bragging rights, especially since he had technically delivered the final blow.

"That is quite the feat, for someone from East Blue." Francis replied, as he sighed. "But this is nothing more than a simple warning; we will take action and search the ship if you do not cooperate. Resist, and we'll have to subdue you." Then, he finally began walking away, looking back at Nampu, who merely allowed his glance to follow Francis. "I give you twenty minutes to consider, Storm. Any longer than that, and we will take action." Then, he suddenly leapt off the ship, in the direction of the black ship anchored further away from the Howling Moon.

The moment Francis was out of ear's reach, Nampu let out a sigh of relief, as he fell to the floor, his face finally showing signs of plain and straight-out terror. _That was intense! It's a wonder that Zugai manages to keep up with this authority-stuff…_ he thought, before he got up, straightened himself out, and headed for the kitchen door.

When he opened it, Omega quickly stepped away from the doorway, and immediately, the entire crew and Haze looked at Nampu with great interest. "Well? What did he want?" KC asked, as he tilted his head, noticing that Nampu still looked a bit distressed.

"He…" Nampu began, as he cleared his throat. "He wanted Yu." he said bluntly. "For some reason, he told me that the scout of their crew had scoured the entire island in about two minutes without finding a trace of her, and guessed that she was on the Moon." As he spoke, he leant against the wall, before sinking down to the floor. "How that's even possible, I can't begin to tell…"

"It must obviously have been a Devil Fruit's work." Omega said, as he looked down at Nampu. "Though there isn't any trace of him, so I can only guess that you lied to him?"

"Pretty much; but he didn't seem to buy it." Nampu replied, as he pressed his fingers against his temples, massaging them to try and calm himself. "And if that's not enough, he's given us twenty minutes before their crew comes over and searches the ship… and we have to be 'subdued' if we try to stop them."

Growling, Ryozo closed his eyes, carefully cracking his knuckles. "And when we have a patient, here, of all things… we can't have them search the ship, us trying to stop them or not. Zugai's condition would only worsen, and I don't know if I can bring him back if something like that would happen."

"B-but we can't just waltz over and tell them that there isn't anyone here." Maria shot in, before she looked at Yu under the table. "If he saw through Nampu… I d-don't think that our lies would make them believe any more."

"Then we've just got to go and beat them into leaving us alone." Shin said, as she stood up, folding her arms. "We can handle them, right?"

"I'm with Shin, really." Jin said, as he stood up as well. "Just give me a few minutes with them, and I'll make some sort of wave that's gonna flush them all the way back to Reverse Mountain!" However, at that moment, four posters were suddenly slammed on the table, which threw Jin off. "Hn?"

"That wouldn't be so much of a problem, if it wasn't for the fact that _we're dealing with the Blackmouth Pirates, here!_" Haze shouted, as she had been the one to place the posters on the table. One of these posters showed a blonde woman both winking seductively at the camera and blowing a kiss at it, all whilst holding a smoking, tri-barreled gun, and appearing unfazed by an explosion behind her. Her name read 'Beautiful Destruction' Beppin Kuritai, worth 192 million Beri.

The other poster showed a man with white pupils and a black beanie on his head, with his hands crossed, showing a pair of bloody guillotines protruding from the palms of a pair of black gloves he wore. His name read 'Swift Execution' Kakutsu Garenashi, worth 248 million Beri. The third poster actually showed two people at the same time, both of them holding talwar swords practically bathed in blood. It was two twin girls, to be exact; they were practically identical, save for one having a scar over her left eye, and the other having a scar over her right eye. Their names read 'Double Annihilation' Kurenisawa Twins, Gina and Anig, worth 330 million Beri combined.

The final poster was the one Haze was currently pointing at; unlike the others, which showed various crewmembers engaging in fairly violent acts, this one merely showed a cloaked man wearing a tricorn hat and a theater mask with a sad face, whilst holding one hand before his face, showing the back of his hand to the camera. His name read 'Fate-Stringer' Seigyoki Ayatsuri, worth a whooping 370 million Beri.

"Woah…" Craigmirra uttered, as she looked at the four posters. "Those are pretty high bounties! They're higher than ours, that's for sure!" she said, before she picked up Beppin's poster, inspecting it thoroughly. "Beautiful Destruction… what kinda nickname is that?"

"Guess they've got to be pretty strong." Chris hummed, as she grabbed Kakutsu's poster, rubbing her chin whilst scanning the image.

"If that's the case, I doubt that sending a tidal wave on them will be of any benefit to us." Krystal said with a shrug, as she picked up the poster with the twins, simply reading it without saying anything else.

"I know that I can't remember a whole lot…" Haze began, as she looked at Seigyoki's poster, shuddering at the sight of it. "…but I do know that the Blackmouth Pirates are among the most ferocious pirates who still haven't moved into the New World."

"But I'm wondering about something here." Nampu spoke up, as he looked at Haze with a raised eyebrow. "If those are all the wanted posters for the crew, how the hell isn't that Francis guy wanted? He seems buff enough to be able to lift a house!"

"Well, I don't really know why." Haze replied with a shrug, before she scratched her head. "Now we've just got to figure out a way to avoid getting in trouble…" she began, when suddenly, Yu stepped out from underneath the table. "Hn?"

"You don't have to go to that length for me." Yu said, as she walked past the pirates, towards the door. "If your captain's going to heal, then it'd be best if I stayed away, right? Besides, it's me they want." Before she opened the door, she turned her head slightly towards the group. "Thanks for not seeing me as a monster. Maybe we can meet again later on."

However, when she reached her hand out to grab the doorknob, Nampu suddenly slammed his palm against the door, looking sternly at Yu. "The hell we will!" he said, as Yu looked at him with a dumbfounded look. "You just told us that the captain of that crew's basically a heartless bastard, and now you're going to join his crew? I call BS on that!"

"Yeah, so do the rest of us." Chris said, as all of the pirates, and even Haze, were looking at Yu, which she found to be a bit unsettling. "If you're gonna be a pirate who isn't the captain, you've got to find a captain you can tolerate!"

"Yeah, don't join the meanie-man!" Craigmirra said, as she gave Yu a thumbs-up. "We're gonna show him who's boss around this ship!"

"That would technically be Zugai, who isn't here right now…" KC commented, before he cleared his throat a bit. "But I'm sure that if he were here, he'd help you with those Blackmouth Pirates."

Yu blinked, as she looked at everyone, before looking down at the floor. "But that's not gonna help you, is it?" she said, as she folded her arms whilst having a grim expression on her face, but due to her hood, that went unnoticed by. "How will you stop them from getting me when they begin searching the ship in twenty minutes?"

"I think I've got a plan ready for that…" Nampu began, as he picked up part of Yu's cloak, before looking over at Shin. "I think those rags in the storage room might come in handy, now!"

* * *

"The twenty minutes are almost over." On the black ship, four people were standing by the rail, observing the smaller, ivory ship a distance away from them, with Beppin holding a watch in her hands, checking on the time. "Should we give them a surprise visit before their time is really up, Francis?"

"Wait a moment, milady." Francis said, as he was actually sitting behind the four, enjoying a cup of tea. "It wouldn't be fair for them, would it?"

"He has a point." Kakutsu said, as he kept looking in the direction of the ship. "We can wait it out."

At that moment, both Gina and Anig noticed something, as they pointed at the ship. "Someone's there!" they both said, which made Beppin look where they pointed. As it turned out, a cloaked being jumped from the ship, before rushing across the barren land. "We'll stop her." both of them said simultaneously, as they leapt over the railing of the ship, running after the cloaked being.

"Geez, they can't keep themselves in line, can they?" Beppin said with a snicker, but it quickly died out when she saw another cloaked being jump off the railing of the Howling Moon, once Gina and Anig were out of sight. "Wha… another one?" she uttered, just as the cloaked being rushed to the right, along the shore. "Kakutsu! Someone's trying to get away along the shore! Intercept her!"

With a sudden nod, Kakutsu suddenly vanished from sight, which made Beppin sigh in relief, until she noticed a third cloaked being jump off the ivory ship. "What's going on?" she heard Francis ask, as he had finished his tea, and had headed towards the railing.

"Oh, n-nothing at all, Francis!" Beppin laughed, as she waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Nothing noteworthy at all!" As she spoke, the cloaked being began heading in a different direction from the other two, though still keeping away from the black ship. "Uh… just stay put, Francis!" she said, before she leapt off the ship, running after the cloaked being, muttering and cursing to herself.

As she followed this cloaked being, however, a fourth one leapt off the white ship, and ran straight towards the black ship, which Francis happened to notice. "Hm… decoys? One of them are bound to be the Reaper's Daughter…" he muttered, as he leapt off the ship as well, calmly walking towards the cloaked being who approached him, before it stopped a fair distance from him.

At this moment, the other Blackmouth Pirates had caught up with the other cloaked beings, keeping themselves ready for any surprises. "Well, it looks like you found me!" the being Gina and Anig followed said, though it sounded more like a guy's voice, which surprised the twins.

"You guessed it; I am the Reaper's Daughter!" the being Kakutsu had caught up with said, though this voice sounded like a guy trying to imitate a girl's voice, which made Kakutsu raise an eyebrow.

"S-so, you've come to face me!" the being Beppin had caught up with said, and while this was a female voice, the uncertain, stammering tone threw Beppin off.

On the Howling Moon, standing by the railing were both Nampu and Shin, the latter holding thread and a needle in her hands, watching as the different cloaked beings vanished from sight. "They actually bought it!" she said, as she looked at Nampu, who folded his arms.

"Yeah, I even surprised myself, to be honest." Nampu said in a sheepish tone, before looking behind him, where Craigmirra, Chris, Haze, Krystal and Omega stood, looking in the various directions the beings had ran off to. "Okay, remember the plan; wait a few minutes, and move in for support! This is for Zugai's good health, you hear?!" he said, as they all responded with a resounding 'AYE!'

In the infirmary, sitting by the bed Zugai was sleeping in, was another cloaked being, who could only look towards the door, before looking at the sleeping pirate. "Good luck…" it uttered.

"Now, to reveal our true selves!" At this moment, all of the cloaked beings suddenly cast their cloaks aside, though who they were surprised the Blackmouths beyond compare; Kakutsu was looking straight at Ryozo, Gina and Anig found themselves looking at KC, Beppin stood face-to-face with Maria, and Francis stood against Jin. "You all fell for it!"

Both Gina and Anig blinked, as they looked at each other. "They really got us…" Gina began, as she looked towards KC, her grip on her talwar tightening.

"…where we didn't expect it, sister." Anig finished, as she looked towards KC as well, pointing her talwar at the swordsman.

"…you're not the Reaper's Daughter?" Kakutsu uttered, as he tilted his head. "That's too bad; she was going to join our crew for real…" With a sigh, he crossed his arms, showing the guillotine-blades protruding from his gloves. "I'll end this as quickly as I can."

"We… we were _duped?!_" Beppin uttered in a completely shocked tone, her shock quickly turning into anger, before she aimed her pistol at Maria. "Damnit… I've got to hurry and kill ya, or Seigyoki's going to…"

"…I see." Francis sighed, as he folded his arms, looking down at Jin. "A diversion, to stall for time." With a shrug, Francis began gently and slowly cracking his knuckles, not removing his gaze from Jin. "It's not going to help, but I have to commend the ingenuity of whoever came up with the plan… though Seigyoki will likely deal with him in person, if we fail. But now, let's fight, old chap."

* * *

**A/N: **Am I overdoing these kinds of things? Be honest and tell me; do I overuse the 'split crew up and fight separate foes' niche too much, and do you think I ought to mix it up a bit? Well, in any case, the fight against the Blackmouths has begun! Which one would you want us to focus on first? Remember to read and review, and we'll see which fight will be focused on first!

**YolkaEd**


	63. Blackmouth Rumble part 2

"So, when can we go?" Craigmirra asked, as she was sitting impatiently on the deck, whilst Omega, Chris, Krystal and Haze were still standing, waiting for Nampu to give them the clear signal. Shin wasn't up on deck any longer, for some reason. "Man, I bet that the others are kicking some serious ass right now, and we're missing out…"

"There's no sense in complaining about it, Craigmirra." Krystal shot in, as she folded her arms, her eyes locked on Nampu, who was still looking towards the various spots Ryozo, Jin, Maria and KC had ran off to, in order to fool the Blackmouths. "Though he could have told us that he'd be serious about how long we had to wait…"

And if one listened closely to Nampu, one could actually hear him count silently to himself, as he looked around him whilst counting. "165… 166… 167…"

"Ugh, that's gonna take too long!" Craigmirra groaned, before she looked up at Omega. "Hey, big guy, got anything spectacular to show us in the meantime?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by that, Craigmirra." Omega replied bluntly, without looking down at her. "You have to be specific when you come with requests like that."

"But still, we have been waiting for some time, now…" Chris said with a yawn. "Who knows if the others haven't already beaten the guys who followed them?"

"I doubt it; we are talking about the Blackmouth Pirates." Haze said, as she was leaning on her sword. "You'd have to be some kind of monster to hope to take out even one of them by yourself."

"179… 180!" Nampu suddenly yelled, as he quickly turned to the five. "A few minutes have passed, so go, go, go!" Just as he said this, Omega and Chris quickly ran towards where Jin and Ryozo had ran off to, respectively. It took Krystal and Haze running towards where KC had led the Kurenisawa Twins for Craigmirra to get moving, towards where Maria had gone.

The moment all of them had left, Shin emerged from the storage room, holding several tools in her hands. "Alright, I got some stuff ready for those traps you wanted me to set…" she said, as she noticed that the others were gone. "Finally let them go, huh?"

"Hey, couldn't let them go too soon, right?" Nampu said with a shrug, as he turned towards Shin. "When they get to their respective allies, the Blackmouths they're fighting should be worn out, and ripe for the picking!"

"I think you messed up your analogies there, Nampu…" Shin sighed, as she threw Nampu a small shovel, which he fumbled with a bit before he eventually grabbed it. "Now come on and help; it'll take us a lot less time if you help me set up the traps." she said, as she jumped on shore with the supplies in hand, followed shortly by Nampu.

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Blackmouth Rumble part 2**

**Maidens of Rage and Crescent Banes**

* * *

Both Maria and Beppin stood completely still, as Beppin held her tri-barreled pistol aimed directly at the fishwoman, a frown clearly visible on her face. "Damn… Seigyoki's gonna have our heads if he finds out about this!" she hissed, as Maria noticed that she was actually growing nervous.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked sincerely, without moving from where she stood. "Why do you talk about your own captain like that?"

"It's none of your business, Blue!" Beppin called, as she suddenly pulled the trigger, though Maria was quick to dive away from the shot, but what she didn't expect was that the ammunition exploded after passing by her.

Looking back at the explosion, Maria was clearly stunned. "Wha… how did you-?"

"That's my ammo, hun." Beppin said, as she seemed to calm herself down considerably. "Some people use bullets in their guns, but I use grenades! They're a smaller variant, but since I shoot them in threes, the power is greater than a single grenade!" Then, she fired another shot at Maria again, who once more dived away from the shot.

"Explosive ammo…" Maria muttered, as she closed her hands into fists. _Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave Honetsukon back at the Moon…_ she thought, before she rushed towards Beppin, who only aimed her gun at Maria again, without moving. _I'll have to make do with what I've got!_

"Y'know, hun, you're kinda cute for a fishwoman, but that doesn't mean that I won't kill you. No offense, but hey, you started it!" Beppin said, as she suddenly pulled the trigger again, but Maria dodged it before the explosives could connect with her, which startled Beppin. "Shit! Die, already!" she said, but when she pulled the trigger, nothing came out. "Damnit, I have to reload?!"

"H-Hyakumaigawara Seiken!" Maria yelled, as she threw a punch straight at Beppin's abdomen, sending her flying away from Maria straight away, who seemed positively shocked that the attack had worked. "I… I actually pulled it off?"

However, the blow wasn't nearly enough to make Beppin crash, as she landed on her feet, glaring at Maria. "Damn… you know Fishman Karate?!" she growled, before she dug out more ammo from her coat. "That's the last thing I need…"

"I… I don't know much of it." Maria admitted sheepishly, as she scratched her nose. "I've only seen other Fishmen do those moves, and this is… well, the first time I've ever done a move from that r-repertoire."

"Well, ain't THAT a relief…" Beppin muttered sarcastically, as she just finished reloading. "Then I trust that you won't rely on those moves during this little bout, hun?" she said, before aiming her gun at Maria.

"I… I can't make any promises." Maria said, as she got in a judo-stance. "I won't let you people take her away!"

"Tough words, but are they gonna help ya, hun?" Beppin spat, just as she pulled the trigger, sending a trio of explosives headed straight for Maria, but the fishwoman leapt over the incoming projectiles before they could strike her. "Gotcha, hun!" However, this was apparently what Beppin wanted, as she quickly aimed the gun up at Maria in the sky, and with a smirk, she pulled the trigger, and without any way to dodge in mid-air, Maria was struck by the explosions, sending her propelling down to the ground again.

Though the explosions had done a number on her, Maria still stood, coughing a little blood up, before getting back in her stance. "I won't let you…" she coughed, before she rushed at Beppin again, who wasted no time in pulling the trigger again. This time, however, Maria rolled away from the explosions, without stopping her charge at Beppin. "I won't let you…"

"Speak up, would ya, hun?!" Beppin yelled, as she pulled the trigger again, but once again, nothing came out of it. However, as Maria got closer to her… "Fooled ya." Then, Beppin pulled the trigger again, and this time, the explosions struck Maria dead-on, blowing her away from Beppin. "I purposefully left a chamber open, hun! Don't you think I'd want you to get closer?!"

Coughing, Maria got up again, her entire body smoking from the explosions, but still, she kept her stance up. "I won't let you…" she repeated, before she rushed towards Beppin again, who got ready to pull the trigger once more. "Take her away!" Then, just as Maria got in range, she delivered a swift karate chop with her left hand at the hand holding the gun, forcing Beppin to drop it. Then, without letting up, she thrust her right hand right at Beppin so that the tip of her fingers jabbed into Beppin's chest, blowing the air out of her.

Then, before Beppin could hope to counter, Maria swung her left hand at Beppin's throat, aiming a reverse karate chop at it, striking it with her thumb. And immediately following that was a butterfly kick, striking Beppin's chin, that sent her flying to the ground. And just as Beppin got up, she got a face-full of Maria's leg, as another kick sent her flying further away. _Holy shit, how good at fighting is this chick!? _Beppin thought, as she coughed up blood, before looking at the fishwoman, who seemed weakened by the explosions, but not enough to stop her from moving. _Shit… if it had been a guy…_ Then, her eyes widened. _Or… maybe it doesn't have to be?_

"C-come on!" Maria called, as she wobbled a bit, before shaking her head. "G-get up! I know that you people are strong… so that wouldn't be enough to beat you, w-would it?"

"Sure, hun…" Beppin coughed, as she got up, before looking at Maria in a seductive manner. "But… has anyone told you that… you've got lovely eyes?"

This comment threw Maria off, as she lost her stance for a moment. "I… I beg your pardon?" she said, which only made Beppin laugh.

"Oh, don't tell me that you can't take a compliment, hun?" Beppin said, as she began walking towards Maria, which made her take up her stance once more. "And those eyes… they match your hair. Quite a nice touch, I have to say. Is it natural, or what?"

"What… what are you talking about?" Maria said, as she stepped a bit away from Beppin, her stance not wavering in the slightest. "S-stop joking around, already!"

"Who's joking, hun?" Beppin said with a chuckle, as Maria suddenly noticed that Beppin was right in her face, grabbing her chin to lift her head up, letting the two look each other in the eye. "I'm always serious, hun." she added with a wink.

"But… but why are you-" Maria began, though suddenly, her eyes widened, as the air was knocked out of her. Beppin, as it turned out, had used her moment of weakness to punch her gut, which was more than enough to bring her to her knees.

"Ah, works every time." Beppin laughed, as she walked past Maria, picking her gun up in the process. "Guys fall under my sway, and girls are too clueless to react in time." she sighed, before aiming the gun at the defenseless Maria. "By the way, it's time to end this." she said with a wink, before pulling the trigger three times, each of the blasts from the shots sending Maria tumbling further away from her, more bloodied and burnt than the last time.

_No…_ Maria managed to think to herself, as she was lying on the ground, almost completely unable to move. _Why… why did I let her distract me?_ she thought, as she tried to get up, but her body was lacking the strength to comply. _I've got to-_

Suddenly, she felt her hand being suddenly crushed, as Beppin had stomped her foot down on her hand, forcing her to let out a yell of pain. "Tsk, tsk… poor little fishy." Beppin sighed, as she aimed the gun down at Maria, a remorseless look on her face. "Too bad; you would have been such a good member in our crew… well, no sense crying over spilt milk. Bye now!"

"Handy Dandy Hanky Slap!" Before Beppin could pull the trigger, something furiously struck her face, sending her tumbling away from Maria, crashing into the ground. As she got up again, she saw that Craigmirra stood between her and Maria, cracking her knuckles with a vicious look on her face. "You're going down for beating up my friend, bitch!"

Growling, Beppin quickly got up, aiming her gun at Craigmirra. "What the hell is with this crew?! They allow kids to become pirates these days?!"

"Hey, I'm not a kid, you hear?!" Craigmirra yelled back in response, as a pink bubble suddenly showed up in her palm. "I'm fifteen years old, you know! Ravu Rabu Bubble Attack!" Then, before Beppin could fire at her, Craigmirra threw a series of bubbles at her, and even though they did next to no damage, it did surprise her enough to make her drop the gun.

"Wha… bubbles?! Who the hell throws bubbles?!" Beppin yelled, before she quickly grabbed the gun again. "Eat this, ya little brat!" she said, as she fired a shot at Craigmirra, but instead of hitting her, Craigmirra tilted her head so that the shot went right past her. However, Beppin's comment didn't seem to help on Craigmirra's mood.

"WHO'S THE BRAT AROUND HERE, YOU GODDAMN MOTHER!?$£% !#/"*§&=+BISCUIT?!?!" she roared, as her hair began raising from her head, all whilst her eyes turned a menacing reddish pink, and fangs comically jutted out of her teeth. Then, she rushed towards Beppin at a blinding speed, her arms spinning around at a greater speed. "PINK TYPHOON OF THE KAWAII UMBRELLA!!!"

Before Beppin could even fire a warning shot, Craigmirra began unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks at her, though you couldn't even see them connect with the speed Craigmirra was throwing them at. _What the hell…_ she thought, as Craigmirra only continued to throw blow after blow. _How messed up is this crew, anyway?!_

"C-Craigmirra!" Maria suddenly called, as she had managed to get to her feet, albeit weakly, which made Craigmirra stop her hissy-fit, to throw a glance back at Maria, her eyes still enraged. "Th-throw me!"

"ALRIGHTY, THEN! BUT DON'T SCREW THIS UP, YA HEAR?!" Craigmirra roared in response, as she rushed away from Beppin, who sank to her knees, all the way to Maria, before picking her up by the leg, and hurling her at Beppin. "GO KICK HER ASS!!"

"I… have something different in mind!" Maria said, as she pulled her fist back, closing her eyes. _How many tiles would this kind of punch break? _she thought, before suddenly opening her eyes, letting her see Beppin ahead of her. "G-Gohyakumaigawara Seiken!" she called, as when she got in range, she threw her fist forward, creating a smashing sound once her fist connected with Beppin's skull.

"Geh…" was all Beppin could utter, before the punch sent her flying, leading to her crashing along the ground, her face battered. _What kinda people are these guys…?! _she thought, without moving, as Maria got back on her feet, albeit weakly. _I mean, I can still fight… nah. Seigyoki can handle 'em._

Breathing heavily, Maria watched as Beppin didn't budge from where she lay, as it seemed like she was completely knocked out. "I…" she uttered, before she looked back at Craigmirra, who had calmed down from her sudden fit. "…we did it."

* * *

Kakutsu and Ryozo stood perfectly still on their battlefield, none of them moving a single muscle, and neither of them uttering a single sound. _Okay, this shouldn't be too hard…_ Ryozo thought, as he looked down at the ground around him. _Just throw up a few pillars, and call it a day. How tough can this guy be, really?_

However, Kakutsu did not move from where he stood, as he simply kept looking at Ryozo with his completely white eyes. _…so, when's he gonna fight me? _Ryozo thought, as he folded his arms in annoyance, tilting his head. _Meh, hell with it._ Then, he slowly placed his hand on the ground. "Ishi-"

The moment he said that, however, Kakutsu vanished from sight, before suddenly reappearing in front of Ryozo, swinging his arms downward, intending to slash the doctor. Quickly reacting, Ryozo leapt back from the slash before it could strike him, looking at Kakutsu in shock. "What the-"

Again, the moment he opened his lips, Kakutsu shot forward, slashing his arms with all intent on harming Ryozo with the guillotine blades. Though this time, Ryozo had the incentive to stop the incoming blades with a wall of stone. "How did you do that? Devil Fruit?"

"That's right." Kakutsu said, as he suddenly vanished from sight, before reappearing behind Ryozo, with his back to him. "I ate the Binsho Binsho no Mi, which has granted me speed beyond compare. Users of Soru are like snails, in comparison." he said, before falling completely silent, standing perfectly still once again.

Ryozo noticed this, and blinked. _So he's got super-human speed… then why doesn't he just wipe me out in an instant? _he thought, before placing his hand on the ground. _Let's see how he handles something like this._

At that moment, two pillars of rock shot up around Kakutsu, before they began moving towards him at a fast rate, intending on crushing him. However, before they could connect with each other, Kakutsu suddenly vanished, before reappearing in front of Ryozo again, though he didn't attack him after all. "You fight using the ground itself… or rather, you fight with rocks." Kakutsu said, as he pointed his right hand at Ryozo. "Tell me, did you eat a Devil Fruit as well?"

Ryozo blinked, as he slowly got closer to Kakutsu, who didn't seem to notice him. _What's with this guy? _he thought, as he waved his hand in front of his eyes, though he got no reaction from that. _Don't tell me…_ he thought, as he stepped a great distance away from Kakutsu, before clearing his throat. "Hey, are you blind, or something?"

Immediately, Kakutsu vanished from sight, and Ryozo quickly brought up another wall of stone to shield himself from the attack, but even with that precaution, Kakutsu went around that barrier, appearing in front of Ryozo again, before slashing at Ryozo, who was actually struck this time around. "Though I am blind, it doesn't mean that I am unaware. I can hear almost anything close by me."

Holding his wounds, Ryozo glared at Kakutsu, who was looking around him now, apparently to see if Ryozo had decided to run. _Shit… if I make any sound, he's gonna cut me to shreds with those blades… or?_ Grinning, he placed his hand on the ground, making a pillar of rock arise from the ground a distance away from them, which made Kakutsu dash towards that. _He fell for it! Now, let's see… time for protection!_ Then, rocks suddenly shot out from the ground around Ryozo, covering his body, and just in time, as Kakutsu quickly returned in an attempt to slash Ryozo, but the rocks around his body blocked him from doing so.

"Hrm… this is different." Kakutsu mused, as he stepped away from Ryozo, as he pulled a sword of stone from the ground. "I asked you if you had eaten a Devil Fruit. Now, answer me."

"Well, you're right." Ryozo said, as he swung the sword around a bit. "I ate the Ishi Ishi no Mi, which lets me control rocks. Good thing you can't see me; otherwise, you'd have stopped me from using my Ishi Ishi no Armor!" he laughed, before he slammed his fist into the ground. "Now, get ready, because I'm not letting up for a second!" he said, before pillars of rock shot out all around Kakutsu, with the intent of crushing him.

However, Kakutsu was quicker, and sped away from the rock pillars, before reappearing behind Ryozo, who tried slashing at him with his own sword, but Kakutsu simply moved away from it. "Impressive… exploiting a handicap like that. Truly, you're a pirate." Kakutsu mused, though whether he was being sincere or sarcastic, one couldn't really tell. "But my feet aren't the only thing I can enhance in terms of speed." he said, before he moved towards Ryozo, slashing wildly at him.

Thankfully, the slashes didn't do anything besides scratching the rock armor, but the intensity of the slashing speed was still enough to startle Ryozo, who tried to keep the slashes away from him with his sword. _Okay, I'll give; this guy's tougher than the Marines I fought as Shibun… _he thought, as with Kakutsu's speed, he had no opportunity to fight back. _Well, maybe not tougher than Minkan's crew, but still. How am I supposed to beat this-_

"Ryozo!" someone called, which made both Ryozo and Kakutsu look towards where they had come from, and as it turned out, Chris stood there, looking pumped for a fight. "Alright, you're still not done! I figured that you'd be in need of some help, Ryozo. Can't do it without Chris, can ya?" she laughed, before taking out her Crescent Dagger, holding it in her primary hold, like brass knuckles. "Now, who's the lucky guy we're-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Kakutsu dashed right towards her, slashing his guillotine blades at her, though she was fortunately quick enough to roll away from the slashes. "I am Kakutsu Garenashi, 'Swift Execution', scout of the Blackmouth Pirates. And you are?" he asked, before looking away from where Chris had rolled.

Raising her eyebrow, Chris got to her feet, holding the Crescent Dagger ready. "The name's Chris Hopkins, for your information!" she said, before rushing at Kakutsu, with her dagger ready. "Or, as you may call me for today, the guy who's gonna kick your ass!"

However, when she got in range to slash at Kakutsu, he vanished, startling her, but what startled her more was the fact that she felt something cold touch the back of her neck. "Guy?" Kakutsu said, as Chris looked back to see him pressing the guillotine blade on his left hand against the back of her neck, ready to simply tear her head cleanly off her shoulders. "Strange…" he uttered, before lightly feeling the skin on her neck. "…for this is the flesh of a woman."

Chris' eyes widened with surprise, though she didn't move her arms to slash Kakutsu just yet. _How did this guy figure it out so quickly?! _she thought, as she dug her free hand in her jacket, taking out her double-sided dagger. _And from just a touch? That's got to be some sort of record… _she thought, before spinning the double-sided dagger silently in her hand. _…but like I'll let that beat me! _Then, she quickly stabbed the dagger behind her, though before she could hope to connect with Kakutsu, he vanished again. "Damn, he's quick!"

"Chris, be careful!" Ryozo called, just as Kakutsu reappeared before Chris, slashing at her again, though she was quick to block it with her daggers, even though the blow sent her staggering back. "He's eaten a Devil Fruit that allows him to go really fast! But he's also blind!" he said, but then, all of a sudden, Kakutsu appeared before him, slashing at him wildly again.

"Blind?" Chris uttered, as she looked at her own daggers for a bit, before she snapped her fingers. _Wait a minute… he's a Devil Fruit user, so… Zugai, I can't thank ya enough for this, can I? _she snickered, before she tucked the double-sided dagger back in her jacket, before she pulled out the Seastone throwing dagger, looking towards Kakutsu with a grin. _This should be fun._

"Give up." Kakutsu told Ryozo, as the speed of his slashes only increased in intensity, breaking apart more of Ryozo's armor. "My blades are the sharpest known to man. Coupled with the Binsho Binsho no Mi, they can eventually cut through steel!" Then, with a swift motion, the armor on Ryozo's person fell to pieces, and a visible cut opened up on his chest.

"Shit!" Ryozo yelled, as he swung his sword at Kakutsu, but the pirate simply kicked his hand with such a speed that the sword was flung a great distance away from them. "Damn… that didn't go as planned."

"Indeed it didn't." Kakutsu said, as he raised his right arm, preparing to decapitate Ryozo with the blade. "Your efforts, while commendable, were ultimately futile. The Reaper's Daughter will join the Blackmouth Pirates, and your crew… well, I'm sure our captain can find some use of those who remain alive. Now, die."

However, hearing something behind him, he quickly moved his arm to block whatever was behind him, but what that was, was Chris' crescent dagger. "Gotcha." she said playfully, as suddenly, Kakutsu felt something stab his gut, and in that instant, he felt his energy drain away. "Not so tough without your speed, huh?" she said with a snicker, as Kakutsu sunk to his knees.

Ryozo whistled, as he quickly got on his feet, giving Chris a thumbs-up. "Good thinking, Chris!" he said, which only made Chris laugh.

"Ah, don't thank me; thank Mayor Wana!" she said, before looking down at Kakutsu. "So, ready to call it quits?" she said, as she took hold of the dagger, before quickly removing it and stabbing it into a different part of his gut.

"No… not yet." he said, as he tried moving his hands to where the dagger gutted him, but when he tried doing that, Chris quickly moved the dagger away, preventing him from actually grabbing it, and purposefully removing him of his speed. "I'm not about to lose to rookies, you see."

"Well, too bad for that, buddy!" Ryozo called, as he planted his hands in the ground, giving Chris a nod. "Mind tying him up for me, Chris?"

"If you insist, Ryozo!" Chris said, as she quickly grabbed Kakutsu's left hand, placing it by the ground, before suddenly stabbing the Seastone dagger into his hand. Then, before he could actually pull it out, she grabbed his other hand, and did the same to that, only using the Crescent Dagger instead. "You're up!"

"You think?" Ryozo laughed, as he suddenly pulled out a large club of rock from the ground, which he lifted over his shoulder, grabbing it with both of his hands. "Get ready for the Ishi Ishi no…" he began, before the club began changing in form; the rock around where Ryozo held it began shifting up towards the top of it, creating a larger tip, so to say. "Crusher!" Then, as Chris quickly got out of the way, Ryozo lifted the large hammer-like club, and slammed it horizontally into the defenseless Kakutsu's back, shattering the club and, needless to say, landing a crippling blow to Kakutsu.

_In… incredible…_ Kakutsu thought, as he was actually losing some consciousness, which was mostly evident from him slowly falling to the ground face-first. _Underhanded techniques aside… they have potential. Maybe they'll give Seigyoki… a harder time… _Then, as he impacted, his white eyes closed themselves, indicating that he was out of it.

"Well… that takes care of that." Ryozo sighed, as he scratched his forehead, looking down at Kakutsu. "He was tougher than I imagined. I'm gonna have to give myself a check-up, later on…" he muttered, as he held his wounds, before looking at Chris. "Hey, thanks for helping me out; he'd have killed me, if you hadn't shown up."

"Hey, don't sweat it, Ryozo." Chris said as she stuck her tongue out, before cautiously removing her daggers from Kakutsu's hands, though thankfully, removing the Seastone didn't change the fact that he was out of it. "So, that's the kind of power that the Grand Line can really offer… I bet that they're more or less the same."

As she said this, Ryozo looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "They? Who're they, again?" he asked, though as he said this, Chris pinched his nose before he could continue.

"Never mind that." she said, before she turned around, holding her hands behind her head. "Come on, we should head back; Nampu and Shin are making traps to make the shore around Moon more secure against those pirates." As she said this, she began walking away, and with a nod, Ryozo followed her.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, I was originally just going to go with Maria and Craigmirra vs. Beppin, but I didn't want it to drag for too long, so just to make it simpler on both parts, I chucked in Ryozo and Chris vs. Kakutsu as well, so given this format, you can probably guess what's coming up in chapter 64. Was this a cop-out? Did you want something else? Remember to read and review (with your thoughts on the fight), and I'll see you for the next part of this arc!

**YolkaEd**


	64. Blackmouth Rumble part 3

On the black ship, Seigyoki was sitting in his own chambers, reading an excerpt from the newspapers. "Tsch… the world can't seem to stay out of trouble." he scoffed, as he noticed something written in a certain blurb. "…revolutionaries lay siege to an island in the West Blue?" he mused, before he shook his head, throwing the newspaper away. "Fools. Why would we need a revolution in this time and age? Whoever's leading them must either be very influential… or he's just eaten a hypnotizing Devil Fruit."

At that moment, he heard sounds of battle from outside. "…what's going on, now?" he sighed, as he looked out of the window, letting him see the Howling Moon, along with two people working on something on the shore right next to it. "…now what do we have here?" he uttered, before the battle sounds began growing even more intense. "Hmph… did she try to resist?" With those words, he moved towards the door, opening it slowly, letting him see…

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Blackmouth Rumble part 3**

**Explosive Swordsmen and Biomechanic Lord**

* * *

Both Gina and Anig pointed their talwars at KC, who wasn't intimidated by this one bit. "If we do not kill him…" Gina began, as she moved her sword away, so that it pointed to her left.

"…then Seigyoki will surely punish us." Anig finished, as she moved her sword away as well, only hers was pointing to the right.

"Why would your captain punish you if you don't kill me?" KC inquired, as he drew out his falcatas, keeping his eyes on the twins. "That doesn't sound like something a good captain would do, if you ask me."

"Nobody asked you, Magic Swordsman." both of the twins said in perfect sync, before they both ran towards KC, just as they moved their swords so that the blades were crossed. "Twin Sync: Scissors!" Then, when they got in range of KC, they uncrossed the blades, intending to clip straight through KC.

However, KC was quick to block the attack, but the recoil was still enough to send him skidding a few meters away from the two. "Combination attacks?" he mused, just as his blades glowed red. "And in perfect sync… you're not very normal, are you?"

"We're more normal than you are, Magic Swordsman." Gina said with a nod, before she took her sword, holding it with two hands, so that the blade pointed straight up.

"We are twins, and our love for each other links us with a special bond." Anig shot in, nodding as well, before she grabbed hold of Gina's legs with both her hands, followed by her spinning around in a circle. "Twin Sync…" both of them said, before Anig threw Gina up in the air, towards KC. "Fastball!"

KC blinked. "Is that it?" he uttered, before he drew Zanmato, placing it between his teeth. "Guess I'm gonna have to take you out with a…" he began, before he held the falcatas horizontally above his shoulder, in the same direction Zanmato's blade pointed. "Kaenho Shaki Po-"

Before he could continue, all of a sudden, Anig rushed at KC, slashing her blade at him, which forced him to block the incoming strike with his falcatas. However, the moment he did that, Anig leapt on the blades, before using them as a platform to leap higher into the air, up towards the incoming Gina. "Twin Sync…"

Then, when Gina got in range of her, Anig grabbed hold of her legs, before they began spinning around, Anig bending her back so that she could get in a position where she could throw Gina at KC. "…Spike!" Then, after spinning for a while, Anig threw her sister right at KC, and with the added momentum, Gina slashed down with her own sword, and though KC blocked the strike, the ground beneath him cracked from the strength of the attack, as the two were actually locked in place, fighting for supremacy.

However, Gina turned out to be superior, as she managed to launch KC away from where he stood, forcing him to grind along the dead ground, leaving a quite visible trail of where he had been launched. "Geh…" KC spat, as some blood actually began trickling down from the edge of his mouth. "What kind of skills are those?" he mused, just as Anig landed next to her sister.

"That is our bond…" Gina began, as she looked towards Anig with a nod.

"…a telepathic bond." Anig continued, looking at her sister with a nod as well. "Our minds are one, you see."

"For our bond transcends that of normal sisterhood."

"We are the same person, more or less."

"FOR WE ARE TWINS." Then, both of them rushed towards KC, holding their talwars away from each other again, though as they rushed, they didn't seem to feel like attacking. However, when KC tried taking advantage of this by swinging his falcata at Gina, she raised her sword in one graceful motion, blocking it fully. "Twin Sync…"

Then, before KC could break free, Anig rushed to his opposite side, swinging her sword at KC, who had to block it with his other falcata. "…Pincer…" Then, all of a sudden, the twins threw a kick each at KC, Gina aiming for his gut, and Anig aiming for his back. "…Kick!"

Both the kicks struck KC dead-on, both knocking the air out of him and bringing him to his knees, just as the twins leapt back. "Keh… are you just going to jump around and do flashy moves?" KC spat, as he looked up at them, smirking defiantly.

"He doesn't seem to…" Gina mused, as she tilted her head to the left.

"…take us seriously, sister." Anig continued, as she tilted her head to the right. "We should do something…"

"…about his defiant nature." Gina finished, before they rushed towards KC again, preparing for their scissor-move once more. "Twin Sync: Scissors!" they called, as they slashed their swords in the same way as they did it the last time, but like last time, KC blocked it with his falcatas, which were now glowing dangerously red.

"You know, you shouldn't play with fire; it tends to bite you in the ass!" KC called, before the extreme heat from the swords actually caused eruptions, blowing Gina and Anig away from him, whilst the falcatas caught fire.

"Anig, we have to focus!" Gina called, as she raised her talwar in a defensive stance, just as Anig did the same.

"You're right, Gina! Rushing this will…" Anig began.

"…do us no good!" Gina finished. Now, both of them stood completely still, waiting for KC to make a move.

And then, he made his move. Quickly getting back on his feet, KC rushed towards the twins, crossing his falcatas across his chest. "Yakigiri!" he yelled, as when he got in range of the twins, he uncrossed the blades, creating a wave of flame to compliment his slashing attack.

However, he ended up only causing some tongues of flame to flicker on the dead field, as both Gina and Anig gracefully leapt over him as he slashed. "Such a technique…" Gina began, though whether or not she was giving a compliment or a berating wasn't too obvious.

"…leaves you open!" Anig continued, just as the two landed, before they rushed towards KC, their blades grinding against the ground. "Twin Sync: Updraft!" they both said, before they slashed upwards the moment they got in range of KC, cutting open his back as he was launched into the air. Then, before he could even descend, Anig grabbed hold of Gina's legs, before she began spinning around. "Twin Sync: Fastball!" they called, as Anig hurled her sister towards KC, but before she could get too far, Anig leapt towards her, landing on her shoulders, before using those as a platform to leap up towards KC.

From there, Anig landed on KC's back, forcing him to let out a pained groan, due to the injuries on his back. "Twin Sync Special…" she began, as she raised her blade, when KC began descending.

At that point, Gina had landed again, but when she noticed KC and Anig descending, she leapt up towards them, holding her sword ready for a slash. Then, when she got in range, both she and Anig began slashing wildly at KC's body, cutting him in several places, letting his blood rain down on the barren field. "Dance of Blades!" And as if that wasn't enough, when they were done slashing up KC's body, Anig helped Gina get on KC's back, before both of them jumped up, and when they were about to land, both of them delivered a solid kick to his back, sending him propelling down towards the ground, the impact of the following crash creating a crater where he landed. "Double-Heel Knockout!"

When the twins landed, they quickly went up to KC, examining his face-down body, with Gina kneeling by him and feeling his pulse. "He's alive…"

"…but barely." Anig finished, as she looked at her sword, before looking at her sister. "It wouldn't be nice to let him suffer…"

Gina nodded, as she held out her sword, before both of them lifted them up, the blades pointing down at KC's body. "…so we will end his suffering, here and now." she finished, as the two prepared for the final blow.

"Kiiro-Bakuha!" Before they could do that, however, a yellow projectile crashed into Anig, sending her propelling away from KC, just as something exploded right by Gina, sending her flying as well. "We made it… and not a moment too soon!" As it turned out, Krystal and Haze had shown up, having each launched an attack at the twins, before they rushed towards KC's body, as Krystal kneeled down to check his pulse.

"…he's alive." she sighed with a smile of relief, before placing her hand on one of the injuries KC had sustained, causing his body to stir. "But these wounds…"

"That was unexpected…" they heard Gina say, as she and Anig both got back up, holding their heads, as they looked towards Krystal and Haze.

"…and it hurt, too." Anig finished, just as the twins pointed their swords at the two. "But now, more annoyances…"

"…have decided to show up." Gina nodded, as they quickly rushed towards the two, holding their swords ready. Then, when they got closer… "Twin Sync: Cross!"

As they said this, they suddenly moved so that they crossed paths, slashing at both Krystal and Haze, though Haze actually blocked the strikes, which surprised the twins. "Sorry, but these annoyances don't go away too easily!" she said with a smirk, before stepping away, just as she rushed at the two again, ready to slice through them. "Hana-Kai!"

However, her attempted attack was easily blocked by Gina, and before she could react, Anig quickly leapt behind her, cutting her back. "Don't assume that we are defeated from just one attack failing." both of the twins said in perfect sync, just as Gina grabbed hold of Haze's throat, hoisting her up to get a better look at her.

At that moment, Gina got a shocked look on her face, and soon enough, Anig got the same look, despite not even looking at Haze. "Wh… what is it?" Haze spat, just as Gina let go of her.

"You're that girl…" Gina said, as she backed away from Haze, holding her talwar ready, just as Anig stepped next to her.

"…that he searched for…" Anig continued, as the twins looked at each other. "Kensei Hanguri." both of them said.

Immediately upon hearing that name, Haze's eyes widened. "Wha… you know his name?" she uttered, as she approached the twins slowly. "How… how do you know him? Where does he live? Who is he?!"

The twins looked at each other, before they looked at Haze with apathetic eyes. "That, we do not know. All we know is his name, abilities… and desire to see you dead." they said in tandem, just as Anig began shivering. "The day we met him… that was a bloody day."

_Gina and Anig, both of them out of breath, were heaving for air, as they looked ahead of them, only to see Beppin lying on the ground, Kakutsu clutching both a wound on his chest and his eyes, and Francis and Seigyoki standing stoically against a lone man. This man __had semi-short, silver hair, and his eyes were an icy blue. He wore a dark navy blue Marine-styled jacket with black lining instead of the usual white and blue colors, along with a black undershirt underneath it, with dark navy pants and black combat boots. A chameleon was also perched on his shoulder._

"'_Fate-Stringer' Seigyoki Ayatsuri…" the man spoke, as he rubbed his chin, a smirk on his face. "Wanted for 370 million Beri, along with your troupe of pirates… I dislike fetching pirates to do this, but you could do just fine."_

_Seigyoki, however, merely scoffed, his expression unreadable due to the mask he wore. "Whatever it is you're going to propose, forget about it. I have no interest in dealing with Marines."_

"_Marines?" the man laughed, before taking something out of his jacket. "I'm no Marine. I work on my own accord, you see. I simply need you to fetch me this girl." As he spoke, he showed the pirates a picture of Haze, who looked practically the same as she did now. "A simple task, if you would choose to comply. Hell, you could have her killed in the process, and I would be just as pleased."_

_At that moment, Seigyoki pointed his finger at the man. "I'm not interested. Take your picture and leave, or you will suffer."_

_The man sneered, as he put the picture away. "If that's how you feel…" he sighed, before he turned around. "A shame, though… the next time we meet, Fate-Stringer, you will know the true power of Kensei Hanguri."_

"That day, not only did Kakutsu lose his eyesight…" Gina began, as she folded her arms, looking sternly at Haze.

"…but we learnt that we have quite the foe in Kensei." Anig continued, just as she and Gina took out their swords. "And that he wants to see you dead…"

Haze blinked, as she gripped her own sword tightly. "So…" she said with a gulp. "…are you going to kill me?"

However, much to her surprise, the twins shook their heads. "We'll spare you." they said, before they pointed their swords at her. "As long as you stay away, and allow us to finish the Cross Skull Pirates, and recruit the Reaper's Daughter, we'll spare you."

However, upon hearing this, Haze grew an angry look on her face. "You want me to step aside?" she said, before red energy amassed around her body. "So that you can kill my friends? I think I'd rather die, than to let you do that!"

With those words, the twins sighed. "That can be arranged." they said, before Gina suddenly leapt on Anig's shoulders, holding her sword out. Then, as Anig did the same, both of them began spinning rapidly around where they stood, carrying dust and grains of sand upwards in a massive draft of wind. "Twin Sync Special: Talwar Twister!" Then, they were suddenly surrounded by what looked like a tornado, which began moving towards Haze, who still stood her ground.

However, before the tornado could reach Haze, a volley of arrows rained down upon it, all of them combusting into an explosion, which blew the twins apart from each other, eliminating the twister. "Don't think that she's on her own!" Krystal spoke up, as she drew another arrow, which multiplied into several arrows on its own. "Haze, I got your back!"

"But who has yours?" Gina uttered, as she and Anig quickly got back up again, glaring at Krystal and Haze. Then, as Anig rushed towards Haze, Gina rushed towards Krystal, holding her blade ready to swing at the archer, who, despite firing another volley, couldn't hit Gina, who easily maneuvered her way past the explosions the arrows caused, ready to cut down Krystal.

However, the moment she got in range, her blade was blocked by two other blades, and as it turned out, KC had gotten up, blocking Gina from attacking Krystal. "KC!" Krystal exclaimed, though he didn't give any reply. "…KC?" At that moment, KC began slashing his falcatas wildly at Gina, who had no opportunity to block the strikes.

As this went on, Haze was keeping Anig too occupied for her to be able to support her sister. "What's wrong?" Haze said with a smirk, as every time she slashed, the red energy around her spread away from her body, surrounding the two fighters. "I thought you Blackmouth Pirates would be tougher… but without your sister, you don't seem that threatening!"

"Tsch… you be quiet!" Anig said, as she aimed a slash at Haze, but Haze was quicker, slashing her sword at Anig's talwar so that she dropped it. "Ugh…"

"Got you!" Haze called, before crouching, letting the red energy surround her sword, before she dashed at Anig, slashing at her chest with the energized sword, causing a major wound to the twin, which made her fall to her knees, just as the energy dispersed, falling to the ground like flower petals. "Sakura-Odori!"

Hearing this, Gina looked towards where her sister had fallen, with quite shocked eyes. "Sister!" she called, but a swipe from KC forced her to look away, blocking the strike. "Why… how can you still be moving? You should be unconscious."

KC, however, didn't answer, as his blades began giving out a golden-colored glow, which was enough to blind Gina temporarily. The glow was also strong enough to force Krystal and Haze to shield their eyes. "That glow…" Haze uttered, as she looked away.

"Don't tell me…" Krystal uttered, trying to see KC through the bright light. "That's… the Sword of Light?"

"What kind of ability is that?" Gina uttered, as she slashed her sword blindly at KC, but with a swift movement of his falcata, the talwar was sent flying. "Wha-" Then, KC suddenly crossed his swords, before dashing at Gina, uncrossing the swords as he slashed at Gina, leaving a wound that actually gave out a gleam of light, before it faded away, letting Gina collapse to the ground in defeat.

"KC…" Krystal uttered, as the light around his blades died out, when all of a sudden, he collapsed to the ground as well, something that startled Krystal. "KC?!" she called, as she and Haze rushed towards him, to check on his condition.

"…that's weird." Haze said, as she felt KC's pulse. "He's unconscious… just like when we got here. But he managed to fight her off whilst unconscious?"

Krystal was silent, as she placed her hand against KC's cheek. "…I think I know what happened." she sighed, before hoisting him up, just as Haze helped her out. "Let's get KC back to the Moon; he's going to need some serious treatment.

* * *

Jin stood ready, waiting for Francis to make the first move, though the opposing first mate took his sweet time in actually going after him. "Let me just ask this of you…" he began, as he cracked his knuckles menacingly. "What do you hope to gain from protecting the Reaper's Daughter?"

"We don't hope to gain nothing." Jin said bluntly, as he crossed his hands, just as they began liquefying. "But if we can at least make sure that your captain doesn't get his will with Yu, then that's enough for us!" Then, he began punching the air, sending jets of water at Francis.

However, the larger man merely swatted the incoming projectiles away, as if they were nothing but flies. "Ah… that's her name." Francis said, as he cracked his neck. "I'll be sure to remember it, Water Lord." Then, he raised his fist, before slamming it into the ground, which created a massive tremor that tore the ground around him and Jin open.

Of course, this startled Jin quite a bit, though he quickly escaped the tremor by releasing water from his soles like jets, hovering above the ground. "Geez, and I thought Nampu exaggerated when he said you could lift a house!"

"I could likely do that." Francis said with a shrug, before he grabbed hold of some of the earth he had split open. "I hate to brag, but my strength knows no bounds. People have seen me split boulders with only my pinky, and some even believe that I could be the strongest in the world."

Then, lifting large chunks of the ground with only a single hand for each piece, he began hurling them at Jin, who had to fly around with his jets to make sure that he wasn't hit, even though he was a Logia-type. "The strongest? You mean, stronger than the Pirate Kings?" he asked, just as he finally landed on the ground when Francis stopped.

"As I said, I hate to brag, and that statement is likely an exaggeration." he said, as he cracked his knuckles again. "I wouldn't consider myself _the_ strongest, at least not in terms of battle prowess; Devil Fruit users such as yourself could one-up me with an ability that would overpower my strength."

As he said this, he rushed at Jin, before throwing a punch aimed squarely at Jin's face, and though Jin phased into water to nullify the damage, one could clearly see that the water that Francis punched through traveled several miles away from where the fight took place. "So… you haven't eaten a Devil Fruit?" Jin asked, trying to remain calm, even though he was a bit shaken from experiencing that sort of strength first-hand.

"No; this strength comes from sheer training, all for the sake of one person." Francis replied, as he cupped his hands, raising them above his head. "I am Francis Yuhukitaru, and my purpose is clear." Then, he slammed the hands straight downwards, and even though Jin avoided the attack, that didn't stop the ground from literally turning into dust where he had struck it.

"Holy…" Jin uttered, before shaking his head. "No, I've got to stay focused!" he said, before he began forming a sphere of water in his hands. "Mizu Mizu no Bullet!" he called, before hurling the sphere at Francis. However, as it crashed into Francis, the larger man still stood his ground, not even budging from where he stood. "You… you can't be serious. You got _that_ from sheer training? Are you sure that you haven't been using steroids?"

Francis only rolled his eyes at this remark, before wringing some of the water out of his dreadlocks and clothes. "As I've said, this is from sheer training. I can positively say that I did not use any sort of concoctions to get where I now stand." Then, pointing one finger at Jin, Francis suddenly rushed at him, before jabbing the finger straight into Jin's chest.

Surprisingly, out of Jin's back, precisely at the spot where he had been stabbed, a massive torrent of water gushed out, and while not to the extent of when Francis had punched him, the fact that a simple stab from a finger could induce such damage brought a look of terror on Jin's face. "…just from training?" he said nervously.

"From the looks of it, I can't kill you… that's a relief." Francis sighed, as he suddenly kneed Jin in the gut, forcing Jin to coil over. "I loathe the thought of killing anyone… but still, forgive me for roughing you up too much." However, before he could attack Jin any further, he heard the sound of something changing.

"You would be wise to step away from Jinketsu." Turning his head, Francis saw that this newcomer was none other than Omega, who was currently aiming his right hand, which was morphed into a gatling gun, at Francis.

"…ah, the Biomechanic Man." Francis mused, as he turned to face Omega, letting go of Jin in the process. "I see your nickname isn't just for show; you seem to be quite the cyborg. More advanced than Cyborg Franky, from the looks of it."

"That may be the truth." Omega said with a nod, just as the gun morphed back into a regular hand. "Though, I am not a self-made cyborg, from what I faintly remember."

"Ah, quite…" Francis hummed, as he held his chin. "…but now you're part of the Cross Skull Pirates? That unfortunately means that we're enemies at the moment."

"I am aware." Omega nodded, as he cracked his neck, without looking away from Francis. Then, he suddenly grabbed hold of his white jacket, before tossing it aside, showing off his upper body. "But I will not falter."

"Hm… that is a brutish way of going by things…" Francis sighed, before he grabbed his own jacket, tossing that aside as well, before also taking off his sleeveless shirt, leaving his upper body unexposed, just as Omega's was. "But if you insist, old bean." Then, both he and Omega rushed at each other, raising their arms in preparation for grabbing the opposing pirate.

However, when they got in range of each other, both of them only managed to grab each other's hands, both of them pushing against the other to gain supremacy. In spite of Francis being taller than Omega, the cyborg was actually holding his own against the black man, though both of them stood at a stale-mate, neither of them moving from where they stood.

Then, all of a sudden, Omega released his grip on Francis' left hand, before aiming his free hand for a punch aimed at Francis' gut. However, Francis quickly let go of Omega's left hand, quickly grabbing Omega's right wrist before the cyborg could strike him, but in spite of that, Omega now tried aiming another punch with his freed hand. However, that too was countered by Francis grabbing Omega's wrist with his own free hand, once more leaving the two at a standstill.

Suddenly, both Francis and Omega slammed their heads against each other, but the moment their skulls impacted, they reeled away from each other, both holding their heads in pain; Francis due to Omega's exo-skeleton skull, and Omega due to Francis' skull actually being quite thick. Despite this, now that they had more space, Omega and Francis each threw a punch at their opponent, aimed straight at their skulls.

And, once again, the moment they made contact, they stood completely still for a few moments, before both of them were sent skidding away from each other. However, this time, before Francis could make a move, Omega shifted his left hand into a rocket launcher, before firing a rocket at Francis' feet, sending him hurling up into the sky.

However, once airborne, Francis merely raised his fist, as if he was going to punch Omega. However, once he began his descent, Omega realized what Francis was planning, and promptly moved away from where Francis would land. Sadly, that didn't stop Francis' subsequent action from being effective; the accumulated velocity he gained from falling gave Francis enough power to crack the entirety of the shore the black ship was anchored by with a single punch, causing a massive tremor that threw Omega off his feet.

"Quite the good show, Biomechanic Man." Francis said in a collected tone, as he stood up straight, before moving towards Omega, who attempted to get back up on his feet, but Francis was too fast, pinning the cyborg down by clutching his throat. "But sadly, it wasn't enough to best me." Then, he raised his fist, as he intended to slam it into Omega's gut, which would likely make the cyborg lose consciousness.

However, before Francis could do this, a massive hand suddenly clamped itself around him, which surprised him considerably, making him let go of Omega. "Would this be enough, Francis?" Jin's voice called, as Francis realized just what the massive hand was made out of; water. Water that was stretched all the way to Jin, who stood a distance behind Francis and Omega, a confident smirk on his face. "You're not the only one who's good at fighting, y'know!"

Without saying another word, the water suddenly coiled and snapped back towards Jin, carrying Francis with it. Before it could fully return to Jin, however, Jin allowed two torrents of water to carry him up into the air, bringing Francis up into the air with him. Then, once Francis got close enough, Jin's arms turned watery, and elongated themselves enough to wrap around Francis. "Gnh… what are you doing?"

"A special move of mine!" Jin said with a smirk, before flipping him and Francis upside-down, letting them fall to the ground. "Corpo Colapso: Pilhadriver Chefe Bolacha!" Then, with torrents of water augmenting their fall, Jin basically did a piledriver on Francis, smashing his head against the already-cracked shore, creating a large crater where the impact struck.

Omega blinked, as he slowly got up, just as Jin let go of Francis, before he went over to the cyborg. "…Jinketsu… what manner of move was that?" he asked, which made Jin look at the cyborg curiously.

"Huh… you're the first who's questioned it." Jin mused, before he placed his hands behind his head, looking up at the sky. "It's a fighting style that my father taught me. To say the least, it's a bit wilder than the usual fighting styles, like the Red Leg style… it's called Corpo Colapso."

Omega nodded, as he looked back at Francis, who didn't seem to be moving. "He seemed to be quite the gentleman, actually…" he mused. "I didn't see any murderous tendencies in his eyes."

"He did say something about… having trained for one person's sake." Jin said with a shrug. "I don't think that he's talking about his captain, though; he sounds too cruel to want to fight for."

However, as he said this, Francis suddenly slammed a hand into the ground, slowly getting on his knees. "…my captain may not be the nicest man on the Grand Line…" he uttered, as he got on his feet, albeit shakily, looking at the two not with rage, but rather with pity. "…but he allows me to aid a certain person that is close to me… and I would appreciate it very much…" he said, before coughing. "…if you didn't badmouth him in my presence."

Then, all of a sudden, the trio would hear clapping. "My, my, how incredibly touching." a new voice said coldly, as the three looked up towards the black ship, where they could see a man clapping his hands together. He was completely cloaked, and wore a tricorn hat and a sad-looking theater mask, which covered his face. "Now, I believe introductions seem in order… I am Seigyoki Ayatsuri, the Fate-Stringer, at your service."

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, we're ending it there, for now, because, well… hoo boy, let's just say that the fight with Seigyoki isn't gonna be a short one. Plus, I've got a chronology of events set to happen after this arc concludes, so in a sense, I might rush through the coming fights, but not too much.

Speaking of, I'd like to wish everyone a belated happy new year (even though I did address an excellent new year in the last story I got up), and… wow. In approximately ten days, this series is officially one year old. During that time, even with some delays and unforeseen circumstances, I've written a story consisting of well over 60 chapters, counted up to well over 240 thousand words.

It's gotten 10539 hits, with 41 people placing it as their favorite, and 26 others having it set as an alarm. And what's more, I've gotten nearly 480 reviews for this, and it's been added to two C2's. I've written 12 other stories on this account, and yet by combining all of their stats, they're _still_ outmatched by this one alone. Crazy, innit?

And to think that I've spent nearly a year on this story, getting feedback from you guys, along with helping you stay entertained… to be honest, I don't think that anything I might do in the future will be as grand as what I've done with this story, which people up here in Norway actually have suggested that I novelize it. Could you imagine? A fanfic being novelized? What're the odds of that happe- Oh, yeah, the Twilight saga. XP

Joking aside, I don't think that I'd ever have gotten here, if it hadn't been for you guys, sending in characters and reviews, and despite my sudden cases of slipping in my schedules, waiting for me to update. It's all thanks to you that I'm still writing on this thing, so I'd like to extend a hearty 'Thank You' to every one of you, for staying with me for this whole ride. You guys kick ass!

Yeah, I might have gone off on a bit of a tangent, but if you can forgive the lengthy author's notes, just remember to read and review, and let me tell you; if you thought 2009 was a wild year, 2010 is going to be even grander! Until next we meet!

**YolkaEd**


	65. Blackmouth Rumble part 4

Back at the Howling Moon, in the infirmary, the massive sounds of battle were getting to Yu, who was still sitting by Zugai's body, still lying in bed. "…can they pull through?" she muttered, before she sighed, briefly looking down at her cloaked body. "…they have to…"

"_Listen, kiddo, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but if you think our captain's just gonna forget about you, you've got a whole different thing coming!"_

"Everyone…" Yu uttered, as she pressed her fingers against her temples, though that wasn't enough to make the hood she wore fall off her head. "…please don't lose…"

"_Seigyoki is the kind of man who will never cease to chase what he wants, until it is attained. You should keep this in mind, Reaper's Daughter."_

The memories of her encounters with the Blackmouth Pirates were getting to her, as she bit her lower lip in an attempt to stop herself from crying. "I don't…"

"_You should know this; if you cross Seigyoki…"_

"…_it'll be the last thing you do, unless he's in a good mood…"_

"…_which rarely happens."_

Then, as she held her right hand over her eyes, and let her left hand rest on the bed, she began crying, despite her best efforts not to do so. "...I don't want to join him." she uttered, as she was genuinely scared; in case the Cross Skull Pirates lost, she would be forced to swear servitude to a man who she could only classify as a tyrant.

"_If you're gonna be a pirate who isn't the captain, you've got to find a captain you can tolerate!"_

As that memory passed her by, she suddenly felt something take hold of her hand. Looking down, she saw that her hand was being held by Zugai's right hand, and upon seeing this, she looked up at his face, to see that he was breathing heavily, though his eyes were closed. "You…"

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Blackmouth Rumble part 4**

**Himo Himo Puppet!**

* * *

The moment Seigyoki uttered his name, both Jin and Omega got in a defensive stance, as the four didn't move from where they each stood. "…Seigyoki, huh?" Jin finally said, without losing his stance. "So you're the captain of the Blackmouth Pirates, huh?"

"That, I am." Seigyoki said plainly, before he set one foot on the railing. "So… we're dealing with the Cross Skull Pirates…" he muttered, before he looked over at Francis, who only looked back at him in return.

"…if you wish to punish me, Captain, go right ahead." Francis eventually said, which made Jin and Omega look towards him. "The others were distracted by decoys, and I allowed myself to take such a blow…"

"Be quiet, Francis." Seigyoki suddenly spoke up, before he leapt off the railing, landing on the shore, before looking at Jin and Omega. "The Water Lord, and the Biomechanic Man… aside from your captain, the most wanted of your little crew. How interesting…"

Jin blinked, as he tilted his head. "Interesting… how?"

With that, Seigyoki chuckled. "There are eleven of you… that means that one of you will have to be spared. I wonder who that would be…" As he spoke, he slowly pointed his finger at Omega. "…now, let us begin."

At that moment, however, something exploded right in front of him, creating a massive dust cloud that blocked Seigyoki's vision for a moment. "Go!" Jin's voice called, just as Omega rushed away from the scene, his hands morphing from cannons into regular hands again. Before the dust cloud could fade away, Jin quickly made his way to the shore, placing his hands in the water. "It's time to end this! Mizu Mizu no Tsunami!"

As the dust cloud finally faded, Seigyoki and Francis looked towards the water, only to see what Jin was doing; he had amassed a massive tidal wave, which was racing towards them, threatening to crush them all. However, Seigyoki merely scoffed at this sight. "Francis, take care of it."

With a nod, Francis rushed towards where Jin stood, before suddenly leaping up in the air, towards the wave, as he pulled his fist back. Then, when he got in range, he threw a punch at the wave, which actually caused the entirety of it to burst apart, rendering the attack useless. "All done." he said, before he landed in the water.

However, the moment he did that, water suddenly lifted him up, as a massive arm of water was emerging from the ocean. "I may not be able to swim, but I can still control the water! Now, Mizu Mizu no Mallet!" Jin called, before the arm swung downwards, aimed at Seigyoki, who merely looked up at it.

Then, all of a sudden, the giant arm stopped, as Francis had only been inches from crashing into Seigyoki, who was actually pointing his finger at Jin. "Funny that you should say that… control is what I excel at." he said coldly.

Jin was, needless to say, shocked, as he lost control of the water binding Francis, causing it to crash into the ground, sending it splashing everywhere. "…what happened?" he uttered, as he slowly stood up, before facing Seigyoki. "…why can't I control my body?"

"Himo Himo Puppet." Seigyoki said coldly, as he pulled his arm further back, as Jin slowly walked towards him. "My Devil Fruit, the Himo Himo no Mi, allows me to take control of absolutely anything. You are now nothing more than a marionette, under my control, Water Lord."

"A… marionette?" Jin managed to utter, as one could tell from his face that he was straining. _Crap... I can't even turn into water! What kinda power does this guy have to do something like this? _he thought, as Seigyoki began chuckling.

"Now, what to do…" he mused to himself, before glancing at Francis, who had just gotten back on his feet after being brought down to earth. "Francis, you may go and fetch the others. I'll handle the pirates by myself."

"You'll be alright?" Francis asked, before looking over at Jin. "As you said, there are eleven of them, so one of them could be strong enough to-"

"Strong enough to attack his crewmates?" Seigyoki interrupted, before he pointed towards the Howling Moon, which made Jin walk in that direction. "Ridiculous. You can't just think inside the box." he added, before he walked after Jin. "Get to it."

Francis merely stood there for a while, watching his captain leave. "…as you wish." he finally said, before he headed towards where Beppin had run off to.

* * *

By the Howling Moon, both Shin and Nampu were looking towards the black ship with some looks of disbelief, as while they hadn't fully seen the battle, the monstrous attacks were still visible to them, as had the brilliant flashes of light coming from where KC had fought, and the explosions from Maria's battle. "D-d-d-d-d-did you just see that, Shin?" Nampu asked frightfully, as he looked at his crewmate with a terrified look.

"Y-yeah…" Shin said with a gulp and nod, as she looked at Nampu with a less frightened, but still relatively shocked look. "Someone… actually punched a tsunami. And made it disappear."

Both of them sat in silence for a few seconds, before both of them began scrambling with the tools around them. "Quick, we've got to get these traps placed!" Nampu said, as he placed a bear trap-like object in a small hole in the ground, before covering that hole with some dirt.

"But we can't rush it, either! Some of these are very delicate!" Shin added, as she hurriedly, but still carefully placed a rectangular object in the ground, before covering that with dirt as well. "Thank goodness that we didn't start too late with digging these traps, or we'd be screwed…"

At that moment, both of them could see that there was someone running towards the ship, and this, in turn, caused them to panic. "Change of plan! Nampu, you take the non-delicate traps and bury them as quick as you can! I'll take care of the other traps!"

"Hey, you can't just change my plan like that!" Nampu protested, as he quickly grabbed another bear trap-like object, burying that just as he had done the last. "I have to approve of it, first!"

"Approval, shmapproval!" Shin called back, as she took a circular object and buried that. "If we don't hurry up with this, we're-" At that moment, they could see that whoever was running towards them had picked up the pace, which made them quite positively freak out, grabbing hold of each other and screaming.

"Why are you screaming?" Just then, the one running towards them finally came into full view, and now, both of them could see that it was Omega, whose jacket had been removed, and the sight of their cyborg crewmate made them stop screaming. "I'm not that threatening, am I?"

Both Nampu and Shin blinked, before they let go of each other, their eyes peeled on Omega. "N-no…" Shin stuttered, before she scratched the back of her head. "I guess we just got a bit tense; we two aren't as powerful as the others, you know."

"Is that really an excuse?" Omega said with a tilt of his head, before looking behind him. "I hope that your traps are ready; we're going to have to hide for a moment, soon."

"And why is that?" Turning their heads, they saw that Krystal and Haze were heading towards them, both of them carrying an unconscious KC. "Don't tell me that something we didn't expect happen…" Haze muttered.

Then, they could hear footsteps, and turning their heads again, they saw that Chris and Ryozo were running towards them. "Okay, we got our guy! You guys as lucky?" Chris asked, as she looked at the pirates.

"Well, we did, at least…" With another turn, the group now saw Maria limping towards them, with Craigmirra sitting on her shoulders. "B-but we have everything under control, right?" Maria asked.

"Well…" Omega began, before he looked towards the black ship, when he noticed two people making their way towards them, which made him frown. "…I'll explain later. Right now, we must hide." he said, before he leapt aboard the Moon, just as the others followed suite, with some difficulty regarding Nampu and Shin (who had to carry the leftover traps back onboard), Maria, Ryozo and KC.

When all of the pirates were aboard the ship, Omega carefully peeked over the edge of the railing, to get a good look at those who were approaching them. As it turned out, those who were coming up to them were Jin and Seigyoki, though Omega could quickly tell that there was something wrong, as Jin walked quite calmly, considering that he was being followed by the captain of the Blackmouth Pirates. "Keep your guard up…" Omega said, before he slid away from the railing.

When Jin and Seigyoki approached the ship, both of them stopped before they could reach the area where Nampu and Shin had buried the traps. "…you. Go first." Seigyoki said calmly, as he pointed towards the area, and without any opportunity to protest, Jin began walking towards the traps. The moment he stepped on one patch of ground, a bear trap suddenly clamped around his leg, though his leg turned into water, which allowed him to phase through the trap. "As I suspected… they thought that I would walk in such obvious traps…"

Then, he looked up at the ship itself, letting out a sigh. "This is the might of the Cross Skull Pirates? Hiding and waiting for their enemies to walk in a trap? Your captain must be quite the coward, if he doesn't dare to show his face in combat." he said mockingly. However, the moment he did that, something was thrown at him from the ship, and with a scoff, he pointed his finger at it, forcing Jin to jump in the way of it. As it turned out, the object thrown was a bomb, which exploded the moment it came in contact with Jin; however, he remained unscathed due to his powers, as his body reformed after the explosion died out.

"The hell are you dissing my traps for?!" Shin suddenly called, as she and Nampu leapt off the ship, both of them ready for battle, with Nampu holding his fists ready, and Shin keeping her Espada Ropera ready.

"Don't you even dare think about calling my buddy a coward!" Nampu chimed in, before he and Shin rushed towards Seigyoki with a battle cry. However, before they could get close to him, Seigyoki pointed two fingers at them.

"Himo Himo Puppet." The moment those words escaped his lips, both Shin and Nampu froze where they stood, both of them having strained looks on their faces, but their bodies locked in place. "That makes three."

"BASTARD!!!" Suddenly, Craigmirra jumped off the ship, ready to take out Seigyoki with a flying kick. "I don't know what you did, but you're not gonna mess with my friends, you son of a-" However, Craigmirra was stopped when Seigyoki pointed a finger at her as well, forcing her to drop to the ground.

As the others watched this, some of them were quite horrified, especially Maria and Haze. "Wha… how did he do that?" Maria asked, as she looked at Omega, who could only look down at the deck with a look of shame.

"Tsch… we're practically sitting ducks, here." Chris said with a frown, before looking at Ryozo. "Can't you do something?"

"I'd love to, but I can't exactly manipulate the rocks if I'm not in contact with it." Ryozo replied disdainfully. "This isn't good…"

Looking around her, Krystal gave out a sigh. "I think I have an idea…" she said, before she took out her bow. "I don't know what he does, but it involves something with his fingers. Apparently, he has to see who he does that thing to…" Then, quickly standing up, she pulled out an arrow, before drawing it on the string, aiming upwards. "So let's rob him of his vision." Then, she released the arrow, as it went flying up in the air, before landing on the ground where the traps were, as it exploded, causing a chain reaction that made the explosives buried under the ground go off as well, creating a massive dust cloud. "Go!"

With that, Ryozo quickly leapt off the ship, but made sure to get some distance from where Seigyoki would be standing, before he placed his hands on the ground. "Ishi Ishi no Bind!" Then, two large hands of rock shot out of the ground, before grabbing someone within the dust cloud, and with the darker-sounding growl that ensued, Ryozo realized that he had grabbed the right person. "Yes!"

When the dust cloud dispersed, one could see that the hands were holding Seigyoki in place, but even though he was being restrained like that, he didn't seem to give off any impression that it hurt him. "Hm… a minor inconvenience. Puppets, free me." The moment he said that, Jin and Craigmirra looked towards him, before nodding, although their faces clearly showed that they had no wish of doing so.

"Oh no, you don't!" At that moment, Chris leapt off the ship, with Haze quickly following her, as both of them drew their weapons. "You're gonna have to go through us if you want to do that!" Chris said, as she got in a fighting stance.

However, Seigyoki only laughed at this remark. "That can be arranged, Crescent Dagger." At that moment, Jin and Shin rushed towards Chris and Haze, with Jin going after Chris, and Shin after Haze.

At that moment, Craigmirra rushed towards Ryozo, her fist drawn back for a punch. But at that moment, Maria rushed in-between her and Ryozo, going into a fighting stance. "Please, Craigmirra… try to take control of yourself!" she pleaded, but this didn't halt Craigmirra's rush for a second.

"I'm trying…" Craigmirra replied regretfully, before she leapt towards Maria. "But I can't!" Then, she threw a punch aimed at Maria's face, but the fishwoman was quicker, catching the fist with her own hand. Then, Craigmirra began throwing several kicks and punches, and Maria, despite her injuries from her fight with Beppin, blocked each of the strikes without throwing a single punch at Craigmirra.

Meanwhile, Jin was throwing punch after punch at Chris, but Chris was thankfully quicker than Jin, evading the blows with grace. "Come on, Jin, you're better than this!" she said, before ducking under another punch from Jin.

Meanwhile, Shin was busy dueling with Haze, who parried all of Shin's thrusts with her own sword. "Damn… what kind of ability is this? It reminds me of Dokusai's mind control… only that the victim's mind isn't turned!" she hissed, as she held Shin's Ropera at a standstill.

"Should you just focus your efforts on them?" Seigyoki said mockingly, before he looked at Nampu, who immediately began rushing towards Ryozo, drawing his iron pipe, intending to strike Ryozo with it.

"Ryozo!" Nampu suddenly called, as he rushed towards the doctor. "You've got to take me out; otherwise, he's just gonna try using me to make you lose focus!" As he said this, he was quickly getting closer to Ryozo, who was still holding his focus on Seigyoki, intent on keeping the pirate locked there.

"Tsch… sorry, Nampu!" Ryozo replied, before suddenly, a pillar of rock shot up before Nampu, and before he could move away from it, pillars shot up all around him, completely surrounding him. "Like I would knock out a friend…"

"My, wasn't that a clever move." Seigyoki said, before he looked at the ship. "But it's not going to help you. Isn't that right, Explosive Archer?"

At that moment, Krystal's eyes widened, as she found that she couldn't move her body on her own accord. "What… what's happening?" she uttered, as she found herself drawing another arrow, before aiming it at the hands holding Seigyoki up. "I… can't control my body!"

However, at that moment, before she could release the arrow, Omega grabbed hold of the arrow, before glaring at Seigyoki. "You… took control of her the moment she stood up, didn't you?"

Seigyoki laughed. "Of course not." he replied. "I did it when she released that arrow, before the explosion disrupted my vision. I must commend you for that type of strategy… but it won't help you."

At that moment, Krystal pulled out another one of her arrows, before jabbing it into Omega's side, creating an explosion that blew her away from him, off the ship. Then, quickly getting up, she aimed an arrow at Ryozo, her teeth gritted.

But the moment she released it, however, it suddenly split in two, as someone had cut it, and that someone just happened to be KC, who was holding all of his swords at the ready. He was breathing heavily, his wound clearly shown to be a hindrance to him, but despite that, he stood strong, glaring at Seigyoki. "What… did you do…" he spat, before his swords flared up, just as he held his falcatas horizontally above his shoulder.

At that moment, Omega realized what he was about to do. "No… KC, don't do it!" he called, but KC was, at this point, beyond reason.

"…TO KRYSTAL?!?!" KC roared, before swinging his swords circularly, releasing a massive stream of fire at Seigyoki, which struck home immediately, but even as the attack burned the pirate, the stone hands couldn't handle it, as they crumbled where they stood, releasing Seigyoki.

At that moment, Seigyoki quickly pointed his fingers at Chris, Haze, KC, Ryozo and Maria, causing them to stop moving completely, and this, in turn, made those fighting them stop as well. Soon after that, the pillars around Nampu crumbled away, freeing him. "That makes ten." he mused, before looking up at Omega. "What a coincidence. The only one I couldn't control is the one who escapes."

At this, Omega blinked. "You… couldn't control me?"

"That's right. You likely didn't feel it, when we fought by the Menacer." Seigyoki began, before he pointed his hands behind him, which made the pirates walk behind him. "My powers come from the Himo Himo no Mi… they've made me a Stringman, you could say."

Omega raised an eyebrow, as he finally leapt off the ship, glaring at Seigyoki. "A Stringman?" he mused, as he folded his arms. "Do elaborate on that."

"I will." Seigyoki nodded. "My powers allow me to send thin, microscopic strings into any person I lay eyes on." he said, as he lifted his hands. "These strings enter my victim's body, stretching out across his inner self. They wire themselves into the user's skeleton, which, in turn, allows me to control them just like a marionette. Controlling Devil Fruit powers like this is out of the question, though, but I can still use their bodies and weapons to my desire."

Omega blinked, before he looked at his own hands. "…and you couldn't control me due to my exo-skeleton?"

"Bingo." Seigyoki laughed, before stretching his arms out. "Your skeleton is the first I have ever come across; not even my strings could wire themselves into you. If they had, you would have been my puppet before you could have taken a single step away from my ship. But now…" Then, he pointed his hands at Omega, just as the Cross Skull Pirates and Haze got in a fighting stance. "…the game is over. Bring me the Reaper's Daughter."

However, Omega's expression merely darkened, as he clenched his hands into fists. "…you assume that you have won, just because you control nearly the entire crew?" Then, he pointed his own hand at Seigyoki, before it shifted into a cannon. "Just because you control them, doesn't mean that you will win. I shall stop you, singlehandedly, if I must."

"By all means, try." Seigyoki said with a laugh, before suddenly, Chris and Haze began running towards Omega. "But I wonder, Biomechanic Man… will you survive an onslaught from all of your crewmates?"

As he said that, every one of the pirates behind Seigyoki rushed towards the cyborg, all of them ready for a fight. "…we will see." Omega said bluntly, before aiming his cannon at Haze, sending a green laser shot at her, striking her head-on, rendering her paralyzed. Despite this, the others kept running towards Omega.

When they got in range, they began throwing attacks at the cyborg. Nampu swung at him with his pipe, KC, Shin and Chris slashed at him with their weapons, Krystal peppered him with arrows from a distance, and Jin, Craigmirra, Maria and Ryozo were striking him at full force. Soon, Haze broke free from her paralysis, and joined the others in slashing at Omega.

However, despite this onslaught of attacks, Omega stood his ground, without doing anything but firing paralysis lasers at the pirates. Sadly, despite using both his hands for this, he never managed to keep all of the pirates paralyzed at once, which left him with no room to open any attacks against Seigyoki. "…so this is your idea of recruiting a new crewmate?" Omega uttered, as he glared at Seigyoki, who only laughed at this remark.

"Crewmate?" he replied, before folding his arms. "Don't tell me that someone like you, a machine, actually feels something for those amongst your crew? They may be part of my crew, but I would never use such a term to describe them."

"What term… would you use, then?" a male voice suddenly called, which brought Seigyoki's attention away from Omega, as he looked towards the Howling Moon, where he could see two people, and the sight of them made him make the pirates stop attacking the cyborg. "What else could you describe your crewmates as… if they're part of your crew?" As it turned out, the people visible to Seigyoki were Zugai and Yu, with Zugai glaring weakly, yet still hatefully at Seigyoki, and Yu simply hid behind the taller pirate, glancing at Seigyoki from under her coat.

At the sight of Zugai, Seigyoki actually began laughing, but not in the calm sense that he had laughed before, but rather in a wild, uncontrollable, and overall insane sense. "The Demon's Orthopedic… you show yourself!" he said, before the laughter overtook him again. "And you brought the Reaper's Daughter, as well! This couldn't be any better, if I wished for it!"

"You didn't answer my question…" Zugai uttered, before he lifted Honehakaisha from his back, glaring at Seigyoki. "I asked you… what term would you use to describe your crewmates with?"

Seigyoki's laughter died out, as he looked up at Zugai. "…hmph. Your surname isn't the only thing you have in common…" he muttered, before he folded his arms. "But I should have expected that. You're the spitting image of your father, after all, Zugai Hibiware."

* * *

**A/N: **And here we go, the last battle of this arc is about to begin! Will you be awed or disappointed? Well, we'll find out in the next chapter, which I'll try to get out faster! Until next time, remember to read and review!

**YolkaEd**


	66. Blackmouth Rumble part 5

Whilst Seigyoki was confronting the Cross Skull Pirates, Francis had found the other Blackmouth Pirates, and after forcing Beppin to wake up, they were now standing on a hill some distance away from the Howling Moon, overlooking the current confrontation. "Huh… so he's going for them, all by himself?" Beppin mused, as she held an unconscious Anig in her arms. "Then I suppose we shouldn't interfere."

"How so?" Francis asked, as he was holding the unconscious Gina and Kakutsu over his shoulders, looking at Beppin with some curiosity. "Seigyoki could use the backup, and the Cross Skull Pirates are likely weakened beforehand."

"Firstly, I don't wanna die." Beppin began, as she threw Francis a look. "Secondly, Seigyoki has defeated much stronger crews than them without us. And thirdly…" Then, she quickly slapped Francis' exposed abs. "You're not wearing a shirt."

"And since when was that a valid reason for not aiding him?" Francis asked, before he sat down, looking down at the fight. "But, if you insist… we'll have to see how our captain deals with them."

"Probably the same way he deals with any other crew…" Beppin shrugged, before she sat down as well. "I'll give them ten minutes, tops."

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Blackmouth Rumble part 5**

**The Resolve of the Reaper's Daughter**

* * *

There was an eerie silence by the Howling Moon, along with an tense atmosphere, that everyone, save for Zugai and Seigyoki could feel, as the two captains were looking at each other, and while one couldn't read Seigyoki's expression, Zugai looked absolutely shocked. "…my father?" Zugai uttered, as Seigyoki simply nodded to this. "How… how do you know him?"

"You keep reminding me of him, for every passing second…" Seigyoki muttered in response, before folding his arms. "Do you not read newspapers? Well, to be fair, newspapers rarely document anything the Herald of Destruction does in the New World…"

Hearing this, Zugai stepped forward, looking down at Seigyoki from the ship with widened eyes. "The Herald of Destruction…" he uttered, before shaking his head. "…but what's his name? You have to know his name, right?"

Now, Seigyoki began laughing. "What kind of son are you, to forget your own father's name?" he said mockingly, ignoring the fact that Zugai got a hurt look on his face. "If you don't have the decency to remember his name by yourself, then I should just let you live in ignorance, Demon's Orthopedic."

"Shut up, damnit!" Nampu suddenly shouted, which brought Seigyoki's and Zugai's attention towards Nampu. "Zugai doesn't remember his old man, because he hasn't seen him in thirteen years! He was abandoned on my home island by those pirates, and he-" At that moment, however, Seigyoki directed Ryozo to suddenly punch Nampu, sending him flying to the ground, which startled the other pirates, but with Seigyoki's hold on most of them, they couldn't exactly stop him.

"I fail to remember when I allowed you to speak." Seigyoki said coldly, before he looked up at Zugai once more. "And you were abandoned? Strange… that's not how I recall hearing of it."

Zugai immediately did a double-take, as he looked at Seigyoki in disbelief. "Wha- just who told you about that?" he asked, though this only made Seigyoki chuckle once more.

"Why, none other than your father." he said mockingly, as he folded his arms. "We've had a few run-ins in the past, seeing as his crew would make an excellent addition to mine. However, the last time I faced him, which was many years ago, he seemed quite different from how I remembered him…"

"_What's the matter, Herald?!" On the wreckage of a Marine ship, with countless bodies of Marine soldiers littered about, two men were staring each other down, one of them being Seigyoki, and the other one __being a man who seemed ridiculously tall, at least eight feet tall, with a quite long, brown beard, along with short brown hair. He wore quite traditional, dark-blue pirate garbs, though he didn't have any hat. "Why won't you fight me, like you always do?!" Seigyoki called, though the larger man merely scoffed._

"_Normally, I'd gladly kick your ass into next week, Ayatsuri…" the man began, before he began turning away from Seigyoki. "…but a great tragedy has befallen me. My son was lost back in the East Blue…"_

_Seigyoki tilted his head slightly, before shaking his head. "And that is supposed to be enough to dishearten a pirate of your caliber, Herald?" he sighed. "You still have your wife, right? Oh, wait a moment, didn't you two have a falling-out?" As he spoke, he didn't notice the man clenching his hands into fists. "Or why not just find any harlot in a random tavern, and-" The moment he tried finishing that sentence, he felt something constrict his neck, though whatever it was, it wasn't visible._

"…_don't you dare finish that sentence." the man said coldly, before looking back at Seigyoki. "My wife may not be on my ship anymore… but I would rather die than to be with another woman." Then, he looked away from Seigyoki, before he walked off, leaving Seigyoki to heave for breath, holding his throat._

"_You..." Seigyoki coughed, as he watched the man leave. "Is that how it's going to be? Are you just going to leave it like that?!" he yelled, but the man didn't answer. "ANSWER ME, HIBIWARE!"_

"That was the last I ever saw of your father, Hibiware." Seigyoki finished, as he looked up at the sky. "The following day, he made his move into the New World, and at the time, I was on my own, without a crew. Now, here I stand, before the lost son. Wouldn't you call it quite the coincidence?"

Zugai blinked, as he slowly moved his hand towards Honehakaisha, still hanging on his back. "Maybe so…" Zugai began, before his expression darkened. "But back to the case at hand… you never answered my question. What term would you use to describe your crewmates?"

At this, Seigyoki sighed. "Stubborn, just like him…" he muttered, before raising one hand. "Calling them tools would be unfair… but if I were to give you a term, I guess I would use underlings. Does that satisfy your question, Hibiware?"

"Yeah, a bit…" Zugai began, before he clenched a grip around the handle of the labrys. "But here's another one… why do you want Yu to join your crew that much?" Upon hearing that, everyone but Omega looked at Zugai in shock; as far as they were concerned, Zugai had been in a coma during Yu's explanation, so how come he knew this?

"Um… I told him." Yu eventually uttered, as she timidly stepped forward, briefly looking down at Seigyoki, trying to hide her fearful look underneath her hood. "When he woke up, I filled him in on… what everyone did for me."

"How quaint." Seigyoki said dryly, before cracking his neck. "Very well… you see, when your father went into the New World, I saw myself at an impasse. How could I possibly continue to challenge your father, if I was on my own?" Then, he chuckled, as he lightly touched his mask. "That's why I figured, that in order to defeat the Herald of Destruction's crew, I had to build up a crew of my own. My first recruits were the Kurenisawa Twins, already a fearsome duo in the South Blue. Later on, I recruited Kakutsu Garenashi and Beppin Kuritai, who turned out to be even greater than I had expected. Surprisingly for me, Francis Yuhukitaru actually joined on his own accord, quite recently, in fact."

"That does explain why he doesn't have a bounty…" Omega muttered, before he raised an eyebrow. "So, the only reason you're gathering a crew such as this is to get a chance at challenging Zugai's father to a rematch?"

"That was my main reason, at first." Seigyoki uttered, as he began chuckling. "But in time, I began realizing what I could accomplish with such a crew under my command; the entire sea would look upon me as a deity." Then, he looked back up at Zugai and Yu. "And the Reaper's Daughter wouldn't be the only one I'd recruit; I'd recruit all of the strongest this sea has to offer, and keep them on a leash, you could say."

Hearing this, Zugai's eyes furrowed, as he suddenly took out Honehakaisha. "Don't think that I'll let you go through with something like that." he said coldly, as Seigyoki only laughed at this.

"You're as eager to leap into danger as he was, too…" he muttered, before looking at his arm, which he hadn't lowered this whole time. "…but seeing his reaction would be priceless…" Then, he casually flicked one finger upwards. "His reaction… upon seeing his son's dead body."

At that moment, Krystal was forced to pull out an arrow, and before anyone could react, she had shot it right at Zugai; however, Yu quickly pulled Zugai down, so that the arrow flew right past them, eventually detonating when it impacted with the water further away. "Sh- sorry, Zugai! I just can't control myself!"

"I'll assist you there." Omega shot in, as he shot his hand forward in an attempt to grab Krystal's bow, but Seigyoki had her roll away from Omega, making him only slam his hand into the ground. "Hrm…"

However, at that moment, when Krystal stopped rolling, she felt something strange. "Hn?" Then, she quickly stood up, looking at her hands in disbelief. "I can…" she began, before she moved her arms about. "I can… move my body on my own!"

While she did that, Seigyoki found that his arm suffered a small recoil, and with that, he grunted. "Tsch- Himo Himo Puppet!" Then, quickly pointing his finger at Krystal, she suddenly found that she couldn't move again. "Damn…"

Blinking, Omega looked towards Jin, before clenching his hand into a fist. "Hrm… let's see if this works." Then, he suddenly slammed his fist down on the ground near Jin, and all of a sudden, Jin found that his movement had been enabled again. "As I suspected."

"I'm… free?" Jin mused, before he looked at Seigyoki with some sort of grin. Then, he suddenly turning his entire mass into water, before this form shot straight at Seigyoki, slamming straight into his chest, sending him toppling to the ground. "He doesn't have control over me!" Jin exclaimed, before the water mass elongated itself into a gigantic mallet, threatening to crush Seigyoki underneath it.

However, before this could come to pass, an arrow shot into the water, detonating within it, which caused it to reform back into Jin, allowing Seigyoki to point his finger at Jin, taking control of him once more. "Shit… you seem to have figured it out, Biomechanic Man." he coughed, as he held his chest in pain.

"I did." Omega nodded, before his hands turned into gatling guns. "And with that information, you have lost." Then, he looked up towards Zugai, who just got up from having been pulled away by Yu. "Are you ready to stop him now, captain?"

With a crack of his neck, and his grip on Honehakaisha ready, Zugai nodded. "Let's do it!" Then, he leapt off the deck, before rushing towards Seigyoki, lifting his labrys for a strike. However, quickly intercepting Zugai was KC, who unwillingly slashed his falcatas at his captain, forcing Zugai to block the incoming strike.

"Do not assume that you have defeated me, just because you saw through my technique!" Seigyoki shouted, before suddenly, Ryozo ran up behind Zugai, intending to punch him in the back of his head, but Zugai hardened his bones before the blow could connect, sparing him too much damage. "My underlings, aid me! Kill the Demon's Orthopedic!"

As Seigyoki spoke those words, all of the controlled crewmates rushed towards Zugai, but Omega was quick to intercept them, as he blocked a sword strike from both Shin and Haze with his body, before shooting the ground before them, severing Seigyoki's control over them. "I don't think I'll let you do that, Seigyoki." Omega said bluntly, before his arm changed into a rocket launcher, just as he fired a rocket at Seigyoki.

However, before it could get near Seigyoki, Jin threw himself in its path, causing him and it to blow apart, though Jin quickly reformed, due to his powers. With that distraction, however, Omega quickly shot the ground near Ryozo, which made him stop fighting Zugai. "Uh… how did you do that, Omega?" Ryozo called, before he quickly grabbed hold of the rock underneath him, just as he pulled out a sword of stone.

"I figured out his ability." Omega said, just as Nampu tried striking him with his iron pipe, but Omega merely sidestepped it. "If he binds you to his will with strings, then they can be cut. Though they cannot be seen, doesn't mean that they are nonexistent."

"How observant." Seigyoki spat, before pulling his hands back, just as everyone he had control over at the moment stopped in their tracks. "But that's not all my strings can do, Biomechanic Man! Himo Himo Gallery!" Then, lifting his hands in the air, everyone save for Zugai, Omega, Ryozo, Shin and Haze were lifted up into the air, completely out of their reach. "Go on, strike me down! But your crew will die because of it, Demon's Orthopedic!"

Gritting his teeth, Zugai glared at Seigyoki. "If you want me dead, then why not just use your powers on me?!" he called, before dropping Honehakaisha, much to the surprise of his crew. "Take control of me, and make me kill myself! What's so hard about that, huh?" As he said that, however, Seigyoki began laughing harder than ever before.

"Do you realize what a hollow victory that would be, Hibiware?" Seigyoki said, before he began moving his arms about, which also caused the skyward pirates to move about in the air. "To let you take your own life… that is a cheap victory. I want to see your anguish, upon having one of your crewmates kill you. Then, I wish to see the look of anguish on your father's face, when I reveal your corpse to him. That… will be a fulfilling victory."

Growling at this, Zugai picked up Honehakaisha again, before looking up at his crew. "…Omega" he said briefly, before looking at the cyborg. "…give me a lift."

What happened then, Seigyoki almost couldn't register. Zugai quickly lightened his bones and rushed towards Omega, who just managed to understand what Zugai had meant. Quickly slamming his hands together, Omega crouched down just as Zugai ran up to him, before he leapt onto the hands, just as Omega swung his arms upwards, sending Zugai skyward, towards his crew.

"Don't tell me he's gonna do THAT?!" Ryozo called, before placing his hands on the ground. "I'd better help him. Ishi Ishi no Pillar!" Then, rocketing out of the ground came several massive pillars of stone, rushing up towards Zugai, who held Honehakaisha ready for swinging. "Zugai, use these as stepping stones!"

With a nod, Zugai got close enough to Chris, before slashing the air around her with Honehakaisha, severing the strings binding her to Seigyoki. Before she could fall, however, Zugai was quick to grab her, before landing on one of the pillars. "Thanks… you sure that you're alright, Zugai?" she asked, just as Zugai leapt towards Nampu, freeing him from Seigyoki's control in the same way.

"I'll be fine!" Zugai called, just as he landed on a different pillar, placing Nampu safely on it, before leaping towards KC and Craigmirra, who were conveniently right next to one another, quickly freeing them as well. "Like some heart attack would do me in!"

"Don't talk over your head, Zugai!" Nampu called, just as Zugai placed KC and Craigmirra safely on another pillar. "You could have some sort of aftershock if you-"

"Don't listen to him, Zugai!" Craigmirra called, just as Zugai leapt towards Maria and Jin. "Just show us how badass you can be, and kick that Stringer's ass!!!"

However, before Zugai could reach Maria and Jin, something exploded right next to him, sending him hurtling towards the ground. "Fool…" Seigyoki muttered, as he looked up at Krystal, who he had forced to shoot at Zugai with an explosive arrow. "Even though I cannot bind people when my Gallery is in effect, it doesn't mean that I can't control those I've already bound!"

Thankfully, before Zugai could fall too far, Chris grabbed hold of his arm, very nearly getting herself pulled down along with Zugai, who was still holding Honehakaisha. "Kkh… Zugai, you've got to drop your axe, or we'll both fall!" she said, just as Zugai looked up at her.

"…why's that?" Zugai asked, before suddenly throwing Honehakaisha into the air, which allowed Chris to pull him up. "Thanks…" he uttered, before he caught the descending labrys. "You'll be alright?" he asked, though Chris only raised an eyebrow at this.

"Zugai, we're standing on a pillar of rock high above the ground, and a rivaling captain has control of some of our crewmates, including the one who can make things explode with her arsenal of arrows." Then, she grinned. "I'll manage."

Hearing this, Zugai smirked and nodded, before running towards the edge, just as he lightened his bones, letting him jump towards Krystal, who drew another arrow in preparation to shoot Zugai. However, this time, Zugai threw Honehakaisha towards her, the spinning labrys flying right underneath her, thankfully cutting the strings connecting her to Seigyoki. As she descended, Zugai quickly grabbed hold of her, before landing on the pillar which Honehakaisha was headed towards, letting him grab it.

"Tsch… this isn't over!" Seigyoki growled, before he swung his arms downward, which forced Maria and Jin to actually fly towards Zugai, both of them forced to try to kick him. However, Zugai noticed this, and with a battle cry, rushed right towards them, dropping Honehakaisha next to Krystal in the process, before grabbing both of them in mid-air, severing their strings, but at the same time, forcing all three of them to fall towards the ground.

"Hyo Mu Pondo Ho!" Suddenly, a wave of ice shot from one of the pillars, and seeing this, Jin quickly shot a arc of water towards it, freezing it into an ice slide, which the three of them landed safely on, letting them slide semi-safely towards the ground. Looking up, they saw KC, heaving for his breath due to his injuries, but still holding Zanmato at the ready, its blade glowing blue. "Finish him now… you hear?" he uttered, before collapsing, startling Craigmirra who sat next to him.

When Zugai, Jin and Maria eventually got down to the ground, the pillars began sinking down to ground level again, and just as Zugai was reassured that everyone were safe, he directed his attention towards Seigyoki. "…had enough?" Zugai asked, as he began cracking his knuckles.

However, at this, Seigyoki began chuckling, before breaking out in an insane laughter. "I haven't even begun, Hibiware!" he called, as he held his hands up, his laughter only intensifying. "If you think that controlling others is all I can do with the Himo Himo no Mi, you are sorely mistaken!"

Then, all of a sudden, multiple strings suddenly erupted from his fingertips, but this time, there were so many of them that they were actually visible, which, in and out of itself, was a terrifying sight. "What the hell?!" Nampu exclaimed in sheer terror, as he looked at Seigyoki with disbelief. "What kinda move is that?!"

"This… is Himo Himo Tailor." Seigyoki said calmly, though his laughter was still present. "My ultimate skill… no man has ever lived to see the aftermath of it, save for my crew. And now… I shall tear your life from your bodies!" Then, the strings began flying towards Zugai, who was too surprised to move away from them.

"Hana-Nami!" Suddenly, a blue mist enveloped Zugai, and just as it seemed like the strings would pierce through him, the mist turned into flowers, blocking the strike. "Don't lose focus, Zugai! We can stop him, now!" Haze called, as she rushed towards the strings, before slashing at them, cutting them apart fairly quickly.

However, when she cut them, Seigyoki sprouted forth more, as the strings quickly surrounded Haze's body, preventing her from moving at all. "You cannot stop this attack! Stop trying to resist!" Seigyoki laughed, as the strings headed towards Zugai once more, intent on breaking through the flower barrier.

"We'll resist all we want, asshole!" At that moment, Nampu had rushed at Seigyoki, and with a quick swing, slammed his iron pipe right in the man's face; however, that didn't prove to be as effective as he had hoped, as he was quickly bound with strings as well.

"It's hopeless! You cannot win!" Seigyoki laughed, before the strings suddenly went towards the other pirates, quickly binding up Krystal, Shin and Ryozo. However, Jin was quick to turn his body into water, before rocketing at Seigyoki again, ramming into his chest like before. "Kkh… give it up!" However, Seigyoki was quick to recover, before the strings bound Jin up as well, somehow making each molecule of water Jin had spread into immobile.

"Tsch… what kind of ability is that?" Jin uttered, as he struggled to get free. Just then, the flower barrier around Zugai vanished, before the bone man rushed towards Seigyoki, Honehakaisha raised. "Zugai, wait!"

"I'm gonna end this, right now!" Zugai responded, as he leapt towards Seigyoki, before spinning around with his axe at the ready. "Honehakaisha Joker-" Before he could finish his sentence, however, a series of strings suddenly shot straight through his shoulder, stopping both his descent and the attack right on the spot. "Guh…"

"Do you see now, Hibiware?" Seigyoki said mockingly, before Zugai was suddenly slammed into the ground, before he was hoisted back up. "My ability far surpasses yours… and it will surpass your father's, as well!" Then, Seigyoki proceeded to use his powers to mercilessly slam the defenseless Zugai into the ground, countless times, just as the other strings quickly bound together the other pirates, save for KC, who was already unconscious.

Back on the Howling Moon, Yu could only look on in horror at this brutal display, before she held her head in despair. "No… they can't win over him…" she uttered, as she began thinking that all the Cross Skull Pirates' efforts were all wasted. "He's just too strong… so they're all going to…"

"_You…" Yu uttered, as she looked at Zugai with some shock, especially since he was breathing heavily, and soon enough, his eyes slowly opened. "You're… awake?"_

"_Ungh…" Zugai uttered, as he slowly sat up, holding his chest. "That was… painful." he said, before noticing Yu sitting next to him. "Oh, you're…"_

"_Yu." she quickly replied, before looking away. "Sorry about what I did… I didn't know that anyone else would come here."_

"_What are you…" he uttered, when he suddenly heard an explosion from outside. "What was that?" he said in surprise, as he prepared to move out of bed, when Yu suddenly grabbed his arm._

"_Wait, you can't go!" she said, before looking towards the door. "You suffered a heart attack… you could end up in a worse condition than you were before."_

"_Never mind that; I just need to know what's going on outside!" Zugai said, as he looked back at Yu with a stern, yet still concerned look, which surprised her._

"…_a fight." she eventually said, before looking away. "Your crew is fighting the Blackmouth Pirates, led by Seigyoki Ayatsuri…" she uttered. "…all so he won't make me join his crew, and so you wouldn't be disturbed."_

_Zugai blinked at this, before looking towards the door. "Really…" he sighed, before standing up. "I can't let my crew have all the fun, now, can I?" he said, before he reached for Honehakaisha, which was leaning against a wall._

"_You mean…" Yu uttered in surprise, as she looked back at Zugai. "…you're going to join the fight?"_

"_Yeah." Zugai responded bluntly. "If they're doing it for you… then I wouldn't be a good captain if I didn't help out, would I?" he added, before looking back at Yu with a smile._

Yu blinked for a moment, as she recalled that memory, before she looked down at her own hands. "…a good captain…" she uttered, before she looked back at the fight, seeing how intensely Zugai was brutalized. Then, she looked back at her hands again, before she clenched them. "…everyone's doing this for my sake… so I have to help them!"

Then, she quickly stood up, before leaping over the railing, landing on the shore, looking towards Seigyoki. Then, opening her hands, she began rushing towards him, with a speed she couldn't recall ever possessing; while it wasn't too fast by our standards, for Yu, it felt as though the entire world went by her in a flash, as she remained fixated on her target.

However, even as obsessed with crushing Zugai he was, Seigyoki noticed Yu running towards him. "Tsch… the Reaper's Daughter?" he spat, before more strings flew towards her. "You'll have to sit this one out, I'm afraid!"

However, before those strings could reach Yu, a blaze of fire suddenly impacted with them, burning them to ashes, which surprised Seigyoki considerably. "We're not… sitting this one out…" KC uttered weakly, as it turned out that he still wasn't out of it yet. "Not one… of us…" Then, he spun around with all his swords as they gave out a bright red glow, creating a blazing shockwave around him that burnt all the strings Seigyoki had sprouted, freeing the Cross Skull Pirates. "Kaen Maki!"

Before Seigyoki could react to that, suddenly, pillars of rock shot up and surrounded his arms, preventing him from both moving and from using his ability. "Kkh… you miserable rookies!" he snarled, when he looked towards Yu, only to see something horrifying; only to his eyes, behind Yu, he could see the silhouette of a hooded skeleton holding a scythe, his hands held just the same way Yu was keeping her hands. "…Death?"

Then, when Yu got in range of him, she retracted her right arm, just as the silhouette raised its scythe, and before he knew it, Yu thrust her palm straight into Seigyoki's chest, in tandem with the swing of the scythe. "Mercy, be on your wretched heart…" she uttered, before a massive force of wind erupting from her hand suddenly blew her hood straight off, revealing her to have extraordinarily long, blonde hair, and clear blue eyes. "Soul Shaker!!!"

At that moment, what sounded like an explosion erupted inside Seigyoki's body, and from the looks of it, it seemed to have quite the effect on him, as his body began convulsing, just as Zugai's body had when he had come in contact with Yu earlier on. Then, when Yu eventually removed her hand, Seigyoki sank to his knees, before the rocks around his arms fell apart, and at that moment, he collapsed in defeat.

Everything was silent, as everyone was looking at Yu, who was breathing quite heavily, a serious look in her eyes, before it slowly waned, and she fell to her knees. "…it's over…"

Zugai blinked, as he got up from the ground where he had been lying after KC freed them, before approaching Yu. "…you alright?" he asked, but at that moment, a dust cloud suddenly appeared behind Seigyoki.

"Well fought." Francis' voice called from the dust cloud, just as Seigyoki vanished into it. "We'll meet again." Then, the dust cloud dispersed, and everyone could see Francis leaping towards the black ship, holding Seigyoki and Kakutsu over his shoulders.

"…so…" Nampu uttered, as he and the other pirates approached Zugai and Yu, all of them looking towards the black ship. "…did you…" he began, when Yu suddenly shook her head.

"Soul Shaker is an attack that causes heart attacks…" she said, before standing up, reaching for her hood. "…as much as he did to you, I still couldn't bring myself to kill him, though the thought resided in my head." Then, she turned towards Zugai, before pulling her hood back over her head. "I… I can't express how grateful I am. You all did so much, just for me… so I-" However, before she could continue, Zugai pulled her hood off, showing that she was actually looking quite sad.

"Hey, what's with the long face?" Zugai asked, as he reached out his hand to Yu. "You saved our hides, so we're the ones who should be grateful, Yu."

Hearing this, Yu's eyes widened, before she bit her lower lip, trying to stop herself from crying again. "…you're… grateful?" she said, before she slowly took hold of Zugai's hand. "If that is so… then… would you allow me to join your crew? I mean… if you're in need of a musician, I could-" However, before she could continue, Zugai quickly shook her hand, throwing her off.

"Do you even have to ask?" he said with a smile, before looking towards his crew, who were also smiling. "Does anyone have any objections?" he asked, to which the entire crew responded with a resounding 'NAY!'

Upon hearing this, Yu slowly grew a smile on her lips, before she grabbed Zugai in a hug, her tears finally emerging from her eyes. "Th-thank you so much!" she said as she cried, though instead of tears of sadness, it was tears of joy. "I… I won't let you down, Zugai!"

* * *

**Zugai Hibiware – **Captain/Shipwright/Blacksmith

**Nampu Kiyasui – **First Mate

**KC Boom – **Swordsman

**Krystal Gem – **Sniper

**Jinketsu Namura – **Navigator

**Shin Mikage – **Cook/Hunter

**Little Lady Craigmirra – **Obligatory Cute Mascot

**Chrisanthia Hopkins – **Thief/Spy

**Maria – **Assistant

**Ryozo Yamaguchi/Shibun Tsurijioro – **Doctor

**0-MAG-4/Omega – **Helmsman/Heavy Lifter

**Yu - **Musician

**A/N: **The ending might seem a bit rushed, but nonetheless, I hope you all enjoyed this arc! What adventures shall befall our crew from here on out? Remember to read and review, and I'll tell lead you all through it!

**YolkaEd**


	67. Another Day

On Marineford, there was a lot of commotion going about. After having spent a few days there, Bane had decided that they should set sail once more, so that Kishikiyoi, Netok, Kia, Ryder and Illith could eventually track down the Cross Skull Pirates before Manigordo could have a chance at doing so. Whilst Bane and Netok rounded up the crew that would accompany them, however, Kishikiyoi was headed for a room further into the HQ building.

Carefully approaching a worn-out door, Kishikiyoi gently knocked on it with his golden gauntlet. "Do come in." a shrill voice uttered from inside the room, and Kishikiyoi opened the door, peering inside to see Gigaku poised over a desk, reading and writing some notes. "Ah, Kishikiyoi. I feared that you would have left with Bane, already." he uttered dryly, without looking at the knight.

"Well, he and Netok are busy getting the men assembled, so I figured that I could take my time; especially since you asked for me." Then, he removed his helmet, looking at Gigaku with curiosity. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Oh, nothing…" Gigaku said, before motioning to something lying on the desk; a red melon, with zig-zag lines going over it. "I just wanted to give you a parting gift, for the occasion of your promotion, Commodore." he added, before returning his attention to his notes.

Kishikiyoi blinked, as he reached for the melon, carefully examining it. "A Devil Fruit…" he uttered, looking at it curiously. "…what type is it?" he asked, just as Gigaku set his quill aside.

"The Gubi Gubi no Mi." he replied, as he stood up from his seat, looking at Kishikiyoi with interest. "I assume that you'll use it to your best ability, Commodore. But, don't let me take up too much of your time; you have a ship to catch."

"Yeah…" Kishikiyoi said, as he began making his way to the door, when he stopped. "…those outbursts." he finally said, looking back at Gigaku. "You haven't found out what's been causing them, yet?"

"No, I can't say that I have, tragically enough." Gigaku said dryly, before he sat down again, writing down notes once more. "I'll look into it. Now, bon voyage, as they say." he added with a little wave, and nodding to this, Kishikiyoi left, closing the door after him. "…tsch." he spat, before he stood up again, headed towards a different door within that room. "He might have been my greatest success, and his little new assistants ruin everything. Though, the failure wasn't as astounding as that one…"

Growling, he took out a key, which he unlocked the door with, before he entered it, traversing down a massive stairwell, leading into seemingly total darkness. When he reached the bottom, he took out his lighter, before pointing up at the roof, making sure that the path he pointed at went through the flame the lighter produced. Then, a jet of fire shot out from the lighter, striking a chandelier.

As that lit up the room, what was inside was quite extraordinary; a massive tree reaching all the way up to the roof, with lots of exotic fruits hanging from the branches, including what seemed to be Devil Fruits on some of them. Also, partly absorbed by the bark of the tree was a man, with long hair which was being absorbed by the tree, and a dried-out face, who seemed to be in a knocked-out state. "Vice-Admiral Majiti… you seem in great shape."

The dry sound of Gigaku's voice seemed to wake up Majiti, as he groggily opened his eyes to see the professor. "You… why won't you kill me?" he uttered, though this only made Gigaku laugh, as he reached for some notes.

"Kill you? You're by far my greatest success, Majiti! Especially since Kishikiyoi turned out to be a dud, thanks to some meddling kids…" Then, he skimmed over the notes, before crossing off something. "Speaking of, I gave him the Gubi Gubi no Mi."

"So you could…" Majiti spat, as he tried moving his body, to no avail. "…conduct your experiments on him, too? Like you've done to me…"

"Oh, be quiet, Majiti." Gigaku sneered, before placing the notes away. "Thanks to my brilliant genius, you've become the only person who can spawn Devil Fruits alive. Say, why not try to make the Gomu Gomu no Mi for me?" As he said that, Majiti began trashing wildly about, trying to reach Gigaku, who only laughed at this attempt.

"Damn you… I'll kill you when I get loose…" Majiti uttered, as Gigaku began leaving the room, the flames suddenly being whisked away by a gust of wind. "I'LL KILL YOU!!!" he suddenly shouted, but the moment the lights died out, his head fell limp, as if he had spent too much energy trying to assault Gigaku. "…damn you…"

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Another Day**

**Adapting to a New Life**

* * *

Two days had gone by since the battle against the Blackmouth Pirates on Tataruramu Island, and now, the Cross Skull Pirates were sailing towards their next destination. Before they had left the island with their new crewmate, she had insisted that they take aboard the piano she had in her house. While lifting it was simple enough for Omega, finding a suitable place to put it was a different story; its size all but made it impossible to take it below deck, unless they cut holes in Howling Moon, which Zugai wouldn't have any of. Eventually, they found that the piano's legs could be bolted into any surface, and after some struggling, the piano and the piano's stool were now bolted firmly in place on the main deck.

While the morning arrived, it wasn't too easy to figure out; this day was foggy, which left little room for anyone to see anything in the horizon. Thankfully, the anchor had been lowered, so the ship stood still for the moment. Regardless, out of the girl's bedroom stepped a hooded figure, looking up at the fog-enshrouded sky. "…a new day…" Yu uttered, before she made her way to the piano.

"Someone's up early!" she heard someone say, which startled her, but when she looked towards the source of the noise, she could faintly see Haze hanging by the edge of the crow's nest, looking down at her. "The fog's been around for quite some time. We'll be sitting in it for a while before it fades away."

"That's alright." Yu said with a small smile, before she sat down on the stool, opening the lid that covered the keys of the instrument. "I like it like this. It gives a sense of mystery." she said, before she began playing a slow, yet still somewhat cheerful melody on the piano.

Haze closed her eyes as she listened to the music. "…you're really good." she said after a while, which made Yu stop playing. "If you hadn't joined Zugai's crew, you could have started some kind of career." she added jokingly, which allowed a giggle to escape Yu's lips.

"Maybe I could have done so." Yu said with a nod, before she moved her hands towards the keyboard again, but something stopped her from playing. "…Haze, wasn't it?" she eventually said, before she looked back up at the crow's nest. "I hate to be meddling in other's affairs, but… why aren't you part of the crew, when you're on the ship?"

Haze shrugged at this. "Zugai told me that he'd allow me to stay until I felt ready to leave. But who knows? I might ask to join the crew some day!" Then, she slid down from the crow's nest to the deck, before stretching out, throwing a glance at Yu. "I'm gonna go make me some food; hopefully, Shin won't mind me using the kitchen." Then, she headed for the kitchen, leaving Yu by herself.

Shrugging, Yu eventually began playing the same tune again, though after a while, she stopped, as she heard someone approach her. Closing the lid, she turned to see who it was, only to see Omega. "I see you're awake." he said bluntly, as he made sure that his white jacket still was on him properly. "What do you call that melody you were playing?"

Yu blinked, before she looked at the piano. "…I don't know." she said, before opening the lid again. "I haven't played that song in a while, so the title is lost to me. I only remember the melody itself…"

Nodding to this, Omega took out a book, before sitting down by the mast, opening the book. "It is a little early for you to be up, you know. Maybe you should consider going back to sleep for the moment?" he asked, though Yu shook her head to this.

"Back on Tataruramu, whenever I woke up, all that met me was the gray, dead land… but out here, there's more color." she said with a smile, before looking up at the sky; the fog was beginning to clear. "Are the others waking up, as well?"

"Yes, though the 'as well' was unneeded, Yu." Omega said with a nod, before he closed his eyes. "When I checked, Jin and Nampu were about to arise, but Ryozo and Zugai seemed to need more rest. Likely, this will be the case with Maria as well."

"Maybe so…" Yu nodded, as she remembered the wounds Zugai, Maria and Ryozo suffered during the fight with the Blackmouth Pirates. The wounds were starting to heal, but still, they had to take it easy for the time being. "…but what about KC? Has his condition changed?"

"Not from what I've seen." Omega sighed. Out of all the Cross Skull Pirates, KC had been in the worst condition, as the damage he had suffered against the Kurenisawa Twins, along with the strain on his body thanks to Seigyoki controlling him and his attacks used to save the crew, had nearly been enough to render him comatose. Thankfully, thanks to Ryozo, he was kept alive, and was currently asleep in the infirmary. "Ryozo says that he will recover before we reach the next island, though, so don't worry too much."

Nodding, Yu began playing the same melody again, and for some time, both Omega and Yu were dead silent; the only sound one could hear was the piano's melody, and occasionally, the turning of a page in the book Omega read. Soon, the fog had almost dispersed completely, letting the sun shine down on the ivory ship. Noting this, Yu tried covering her face a bit more with her hood. "This is new…"

"You didn't see a whole lot of sun back on your island, did you?" they could hear Ryozo say, as they noticed that he emerged from the boy's room, stretching out, showing some bandages over his body. Soon, Jin and Nampu drowsily followed him outside. "Ah, the morning… Jin, Nampu, since you two are awake, maybe you could help me check on KC?" he asked, before looking back at the two, who looked at him in return.

"Erm, I dunno…" Nampu said, as he scratched his neck. "I am worried about him, but I'd just get queasy if I saw KC in the state he's in, and that wouldn't help anyone. Jin could help out, right?"

Jin nodded, as he lightly hit Nampu's shoulder. "A pirate who can't stand seeing blood? That's a new one." he said playfully, before walking past Ryozo. "Come on, doc; we've got a patient to look at!" he said, as he and Ryozo went to the infirmary.

Nampu yawned a little, when he suddenly noticed Omega and Yu. "Oh, you guys are awake, too?" he asked, as he walked down to them, just as Omega stood up. "I thought I heard some music, here. That you who played, Yu? You're really good at it."

Before Yu could reply to this compliment, Omega walked over to Nampu, looking down at him. "Since you chose not to help Ryozo and Jinketsu look over KC, maybe you could help me raise the anchor?" he said, before lifting Nampu up, walking towards where the anchor would be hanging, despite Nampu's feeble protests.

Blinking, Yu was about to resume playing the piano, when she heard a door opening. "Oh… g-good morning, Yu." she heard Maria say, as she looked towards the girl's room, to see Maria in the doorway, looking a little tired. "I thought you were still asleep…"

"No… I kind of wanted to enjoy the morning." Yu replied with a brief nod, before she began playing the melody again, just as Maria approached her.

"It's a… very nice piano." Maria said with a smile, as she observed the instrument while Yu played. "But… when was the last time you cleaned it?" she asked, which made Yu stop playing.

"…clean it?" Yu mused, as she slowly wiped a finger over the piano, only to see quite a trail of dust on her finger as a result of it. "…I don't think the thought ever occurred to me. Maybe I could-" Before she could continue, she suddenly felt someone grab her from behind, startling both her and Maria.

"Gotcha! Thanks for the distraction, Maria!" Chris' voice called, as all of a sudden, Chris yanked Yu off her seat, rushing back into the girl's room, leaving Maria to wonder what had happened.

"Hey, what gives?" Yu exclaimed when Chris entered the room, only to see Shin looking at one of the walls further inside. "…have I missed something?" she asked, just as Krystal and Craigmirra woke up as well.

"Yo, Krystal, Craigmirra; do you two think you could go and make some breakfast? Me and Chris got work to do here." Shin said without looking away from the wall, and with a drowsy shrug, the two exited the room, leaving only Yu, Chris and Shin there.

"So… anyone care to tell me what's going on?" Yu asked, just as Chris let go of her. "Is it normal procedure to drag new crewmembers away without provocation?"

"That's not what's up here, Yu." Shin said, before she spun around, jabbing a finger into Yu's chest. "It's these clothes! Large robes which conceal your entire body, and a hood that's covering your face? That's not good at all! You need a new wardrobe!"

"So, as some sort of welcoming gift…" Chris began, as she took off her jacket, stretching her arms out. "…we're gonna see if we can't find something else you can wear, other than those robes all the time. A casual outfit, maybe?" Then, she rubbed her chin in thought. "But… what are you wearing under those robes, anyway?"

This made a light pink color flush over Yu's pale cheeks, as she looked bashfully away from Chris. "…aside from my underwear, nothing." she said bluntly, which made both Shin and Chris reel away from her a bit in surprise. "None of my mother's old clothes fit me aside from that, you see…"

"Hmm…" Shin mused, before she snapped her fingers. "I think we can remedy that. We got some clothes lying around, right, Chris?" she asked, as Chris nodded, before making her way to one of the ivory beds.

"I got some T-shirts to spare, and I'm sure that you got something for her legs." Chris replied, and just as she found a black lump of cloth, Shin had found a grey lump of cloth. Then, the two grinned mischievously, before glancing at Yu with glints in their eyes, intimidating the musician.

"DOG PILE!" Then, before Yu could get her bearings straight, both Chris and Shin leapt at her, and entered a big squabble that could be heard all over the ship, until about three minutes later, when they were all done. "There…" Shin uttered, as she wiped her brow. "Much better!"

As it turned out, Chris and Shin had successfully removed Yu's robes, and replaced them with a black, sort of loose T-shirt, along with a pair of grey sweatpants. As she stood up, she held her head woozily, before realizing that she wasn't hooded any more. "Um… not that I don't appreciate this…" Yu began, before she looked at Chris and Shin, with a timid look in her eyes. "…but does this mean that I can't wear my robes?"

Chris merely chuckled at this, before patting Yu's shoulder. "We're not saying that you _can't _wear your robes, but when you're on the ship, it'd be nice if you didn't wear them as often. Y'know, so you can get some sun; you look paler than…" she said, though she trailed off towards the end, before she shook her head. "In any case, hope you like the new outfit!" Then, she and Shin made their way outside, leaving Yu by herself.

"…get some sun…?" Yu repeated, as she looked at her arms; without her robes on, she could definitely tell that she was incredibly pale, almost as if she was some kind of ghost. Blinking, she looked down at the floor, where her robes were lying in a heap by her bed. "…why not?" she said with a small smile, before she made her way to the door, opening it up, and leaving the room.

When she closed the door behind her, however, she was greeted with quite a sight; her piano was completely cleaned up, and Maria seemed to be the one responsible, as she wiped a small cloth over the keys, when she noticed Yu. "…wh-what happened to your robes?" Maria asked, as she tilted her head, just as Yu scratched her head.

"Um… Chris and Shin decided that I needed a 'casual outfit', so they put me into this." she replied, before she returned her attention to the piano. "Did you really clean it while I was gone?" she asked, as Maria nodded.

"Y-yes… I didn't want it to be too dirty, you see…" she said, before she snapped her fingers. "Oh, that reminds me! I still haven't gotten to clean Zugai's workshop yet…" At that moment, however, the two heard a door opening, and turning around, they saw that Craigmirra had emerged from the kitchen.

"Maria, Yu, Krystal told me to tell you to go get breakfast; we just got everything ready for you guys!" she said, as she pointed back into the kitchen, just as she noticed Yu's new outfit. "Well, you're looking fine, Yu!" she said with a smile and a thumbs-up, before she skipped into the kitchen.

"…is she usually like that?" Yu asked, as she and Maria made their way towards the kitchen.

"She's a…" Maria began, as she scratched her cheek in thought. "…well, more or less, a little childish for her age. She's 15, you see."

Yu blinked at this, as she held her chin. "15… she doesn't seem that old." she mused, just as the two entered the kitchen.

* * *

After breakfast was well over and done, Yu had returned to the piano, playing the same melody as before. As she played, however, all of a sudden, someone ran past her with quite some speed, followed by someone else, which made her stop playing. "Wait up…" the other person said exhaustedly, as it turned out to be Jin. "...how is it possible to be that hyper during the morning?" he sighed, before sitting down on the ivory deck. "I need a time-out… man, Craigmirra is quite a handful from time to time..." Then, he suddenly noticed that Yu was looking at him with a baffled look.

"Uh… hi?" Yu said with a somewhat bashful look, before she turned away, returning her attention to the piano. "Sorry, Jin; I didn't mean to stare." she said, as she got ready to play again, when Jin moved next to her.

"Why aren't you wearing your robes, again?" he asked, which made her look up at Jin. "I mean, I noticed that you were wearing those clothes during breakfast, and I was just curious, y'see…"

Nodding, Yu looked back at the piano. "Chris and Shin gave me these, so I could use them as a casual outfit. I figured out some system I could use; when we're on an island, I can wear the robes, but when we're on the ship, unless it's really cold, I'll just wear these clothes."

"Sounds like you've got the plan narrowed down." Jin said with a nod, when all of a sudden, Craigmirra ran past him, giggling like a maniac. "Oh, for the love of… next time, Zugai ought to make Shin keep the sugar away from her!" he groaned, before running after Craigmirra.

Yu couldn't help but giggle at this for a short while, before she looked towards the boy's room. Strangely enough, Zugai still hadn't left the room at all this morning, which made Yu worry for him, in case the damage he sustained from the fight against Seigyoki had been too much for him. With a sigh, she stood up from the stool, before making her way towards the boy's room. "I hope he's alright…" she muttered, before lightly knocking the door.

"He's not in there." she heard someone say, and looking behind her, she saw Nampu standing behind her. "I checked after I helped Omega set up the anchor; he must've gone into his workshop when nobody was looking." he said, before he gave out a sigh. "That guy's really secretive about that room…"

Yu blinked, as she turned to face Nampu. "Secretive?" she repeated, as Nampu nodded. "…so nobody but him knows about that room?"

"Not even me. I'm as surprised as you." Nampu replied, before he looked up at the sky. "Anyway, when you've got time, think you can swing over to the back of the ship? I'm holding a little meeting there, regarding a few of our crewmates." Before Yu could even hope to reply to this, Nampu left.

Blinking, Yu looked back at the door leading to the boy's room, before looking at where Nampu had headed; towards the back of the ship, behind the rear cabin. "…well, I haven't got much else to do." she uttered with a shrug, before she began making her way towards the back, when she heard some sort of sound. "Hn?" Hearing that it came from a door on the first floor, Yu approached it, putting an ear next to it.

Then, she was able to discern what the sound was; some sort of flute playing, albeit at a poor skill level. _…is he practicing? _ she thought, as she moved her hand towards the handle, before suddenly stopping herself. _No, that'd just be rude. I can ask him about it later…_ With that thought in mind, she threw the door another glance, before she began walking towards the back of the ship.

On her way there, however, she passed by the door leading into the infirmary, noticing that it was opened a little. Out of curiosity, she peeked inside, only to see Krystal sitting by the bed, where KC was lying fast asleep. "Always doing reckless things like that…" Krystal said with a sigh, as she carefully stroked KC's cheek, so not to wake him up. "…you really are going to prove yourself as a legend, no matter what… I guess that's why I love you." she said, a smile crossing her lips.

Blinking, Yu quickly moved past the door, throwing a glance back at it. _I guess those two are really close…_ she thought, just as she rounded the corner, when she saw Nampu, Craigmirra, Maria and Haze sitting in a circle. "Hm? What's going on?"

"Oh, Yu!" Nampu said with a smile, as he motioned for her to sit down by them, which she eventually did. "Alright, now that we're here, I guess we can skip the cryptic bull; we're talking about KC and Krystal."

Yu tilted her head when she heard that, but before she could say anything, Maria cleared her throat. "Is this about them… you know…" she began, but Nampu suddenly cut her off.

"I know what it is you're going to say, but you're not thinking clearly about that." he said, before he folded his arms and closed his eyes. "KC and Krystal, as most of us here are aware of, have a thing for each other. They are, without a doubt, in love."

As he said this, Craigmirra suddenly gasped. "No way! How long has it been like that?" she said in a genuinely dumbfounded tone.

"Pretty much ever since Zugai and I picked them up in East Blue. And I can only guess that it's been that way a whole lot earlier." Nampu replied, just as he opened his eyes. "However! Even though they are in love with each other, they do not seem to have officially become a couple!"

Haze blinked at this, before she tilted her head. "Um… and this matters to us because…?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, just as Nampu looked at her.

"It's simple; seeing two people who are obviously made for one another not going through with a relationship makes me want to scream!" he replied, as he pointed at Haze while he spoke.

"…why do you care, again?" Haze asked again. "It's their business whether or not they decide to be a couple, not yours. And I thought most guys didn't care too much for romantic stuff?"

"Hey, did you forget who the gay guy on the ship was?" Nampu said in disbelief, as he massaged his temples. "Of course I'm enthusiastic about romance, especially when it concerns my friends!"

"So…" Yu chimed in, as she looked at Nampu with a curious look. "…what do you want to do about it?"

When she asked that, Nampu began chuckling. "Oh, I have a plan… and when we get to the next island, we'll enact it without fail! It's Operation 'Nampu's-Awesome-And-Failsafe-Plan-To-Get-KC-And-Krystal-Together-Once-And-For-All'! Or, alternatively, NAAFPTGKAKTOAFA, if you like acronyms." he said, before standing up, motioning for the other girls to do so as well. "Right, here's the plan…"

* * *

**A/N: **What's this? A chapter containing nothing but exposition and character development? I'm as surprised as you guys are. Well, like we decided back at the crossroads earlier on, now that Yu is part of the crew, we can get to something that's quite overdue: KC and Krystal finally getting together as a couple! Remember to read and review, and just keep in mind; you might get surprised!

**YolkaEd**


	68. Nampu's Scheme

On an island called Hanyo, news regarding the Fate-Stringer, Seigyoki Ayatsuri, had been spread like wildfire. Simply the fact that a pirate of his caliber had been put in a coma was enough to send chills down the spines of most people, but the name of whoever was responsible for that was not spoken of.

At the moment, on the roof of a building on the west side of the island, a pale man was sitting, observing the horizon. However, upon hearing footsteps behind him, he instinctively reached for his black sword. "Oh, do calm yourself, Nikolai, it's only me." a voice behind him said, which made the swordsman ease up.

"Lance." Nikolai uttered, just as a silver-haired man sat down next to him. "I thought you and Cedric were going shopping."

"Cedric insisted that he could go on his own." Lance replied, as he stretched his arms out, looking at the rising morning sun. "So I had both Collette and Amaya accompany him instead. Got to make sure my little brother stays out of harm." Then, he threw a glance at Nikolai, who had closed his eyes. "Say, did you hear the rumors? They say that Seigyoki suffered a heart attack."

Nikolai's eyes slowly opened. "The Fate-Stringer?" he mused dryly, without looking at Lance. "Odd. How did that happen?"

"That's the strangest thing; nobody seems to know." Lance said, as he closed his eyes, before smirking. "Aside from one person… he said that it was the work of a girl, with the power to steal life away."

"The Reaper's Daughter…" Nikolai uttered. "I've heard of her. She's from Tataruramu Island, right? What's she doing off that island?"

"That's the thing; it happened on that island." Lance said, before he looked at Nikolai. "And you do know which island the Log settles on when you're on Tataruramu?"

"What are you getting at, Lance?" Nikolai asked, as he glanced at his captain. "It's this island."

"And what's more…" Lance continued, as he looked up at the sky. "…the guy told me that a certain pirate crew was on that island when it happened. An ivory ship, with a snarling wolf's head as the figurehead…"

Nikolai's eyes widened. "…who was this informant, anyway?"

Then, Lance chuckled. "Let's just say that I got it straight from the horse's mouth." he said, before patting Nikolai on his back. "Just wanted you to know, in case you're still interested." he added, before he stood up, and suddenly vanished.

"…still interested…" Nikolai mused, as he stood up as well, looking at the horizon. "…what do you take me for?" he said, as he grinned. "It's all I could have asked for… time for payback, Crescent Dagger."

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Nampu's Scheme**

**Getting a Couple Together**

* * *

Three days of sailing followed for the Cross Skull Pirates, before they could reach their next destination. During those days, KC eventually recovered from his injuries, and would spend time practicing his sword arm. Zugai, on the other hand, had quite literally stayed in his workshop the entire time during their voyage to the next island, which some crewmembers, like Maria and Yu, found a bit unsettling, but others, like Nampu and Omega, had no reason to worry.

Right now, as the Howling Moon sailed towards its destination, with the midday sun shining down on the ivory boat, Jin stood by the front of the ship, looking ahead for the island. _We should be able to restock our supplies on this island… _he thought to himself. _The last place we could have replenished our stock was on Ketsuwoo, but thanks to that mayor guy Zugai talked about…_

"Hey, Jin!" a voice behind him called, which startled him somewhat, but when he looked behind him, he saw Haze and Yu, the latter now adorning her usual cloak and robes. "Do you think it'll be long until we get to the island?" Haze asked, as she held her hands behind her back.

Blinking, Jin looked at his wrist to observe the Log Pose. "I can't say for sure, but I'm guessing that we'll be there in a few hours. Why do you ask, Haze?" he said, throwing a glance at the pink-haired girl.

"Well, you see…" Yu chimed in, as she stepped a bit past Haze. "…we talked about it with Nampu, and we figured that me, Maria, Haze and Craigmirra could go and get some supplies for the ship, when we get to the next island."

Jin nodded when he heard this, before he looked back towards the horizon. "Hm… I can understand that you'd ask Nampu, since Zugai's locked himself in his workshop, without exiting the place… but I have to ask; why is Haze coming along? She isn't part of the crew, as far as I'm concerned. Not to offend you or anything…"

"Nah, I can see where you're coming from, Jin." Haze replied, before she looked up at the sky. "But… well, I'm being treated nicely by you guys; I get a place to sleep, and I get free food, all for just sitting in the crow's nest from time to time. So I figured that I could help out with _something_, just so I wouldn't be considered a load."

Hearing that, Jin let out a laugh. "A load… now I've heard everything." he muttered, before throwing a glance at the Log Pose. "You two just wait; I'll call when we get closer to the island." After he said this, both Haze and Yu promptly left him to his own devices.

After a few hours, an island eventually showed up in the horizon, and shortly afterwards, the ivory ship found itself anchored by a shore, a town in spitting distance of where they anchored. Almost as soon as they set anchor, Maria, Yu, Craigmirra and Haze jumped ship, stretching a bit out. "Alright, we'll be back in a bit!" Haze called, as the four got ready to move, when…

"Hang on!" Hearing Shin call for them made them stop, as they turned back to face the ship, where their cook stood by the railing, her arms folded. "Shopping for supplies without a shopping list? You guys don't even know what we need, do you?"

Hearing this, Haze began laughing quite nervously, as she rubbed the back of her head. "You know, that never actually occurred to me! Good thinking, Shin!" she said, giving Shin a thumbs-up.

Shin blinked at this, as she tilted her head. "…you guys aren't up to anything suspicious, are you?" she asked, something which made a shiver go down Haze's spine.

"N-no, nothing at all!" Maria shot in, as she stepped past Haze. "We're j-just going to buy supplies for the journey ahead, nothing else!"

Shin raised an eyebrow, before she shrugged. "Alright, then." she sighed, before flinging a piece of paper at Haze, who grabbed it without a hitch. "While you're in town, see if you can't find out how long it takes for the Log to set on the next island as well!"

"Don't worry; we'll take care of it!" Craigmirra said, as the four began moving towards the town. "Bye, now! Take care! We won't be long!"

As the four went along, Shin shook her head, as she rubbed her temples. "They're acting too suspicious…" she muttered, as she turned around, only to stand face-to-face with Chris, something that startled her. "Geez, don't sneak up on me like that, Chris!" she said, as she folded her arms.

"Hey, no need to give me that look!" Chris said, as she looked past Shin, seeing the four go towards the town. "What are those guys up to?"

"Beats me." Shin replied with a shrug, as she turned to look at them as they went. "But I can tell that they're planning on something… but what it is, I can't say."

"I think I have an idea on what it could be." Chris said, as she placed a foot on the railing. "I think I heard them discuss something with Nampu earlier. Something about KC and Krystal… I'll just have to ask them!" Then, before Shin could say anything, Chris leaped overboard, and followed the four, without making her presence known.

However, while she remained hidden from the four, somewhere in town, someone had set their sights on her; namely, a young boy sitting on a roof, watching the newly-anchored ship through a pair of binoculars. He had straight, silver hair going down to his chin, with bangs in front, and he wore a pair of knee-length jean shorts, a black T-shirt, and tennis shoes. Hanging from his left ear was an earring in the shape of a wolf's head. "What do you know…" he mused. "Just like Nikolai said… I'll go and tell him." Then, he suddenly vanished.

* * *

A few hours passed, without any sign from Chris, Haze, Yu, Maria and Craigmirra, which made Shin, needless to say, agitated. "Where the hell are they?" she muttered, as she paced back and forth on the main deck, occasionally throwing glances towards the town. "It doesn't take _that_ long to get supplies, does it?"

"They haven't gotten back yet?" she heard Krystal say, and when she turned around, she saw both KC and Krystal walking up to her. "How long was the list you gave them, anyway?"

"Not so long that it'd take them hours to fill it out." Shin replied, as she folded her arms. "I dunno… they might have gotten in trouble, or something. Should we tell Zugai about it?"

"Yeah, good luck with that." All three of them blinked when they heard Nampu say that, and as they turned their attention to where the voice had come from, they saw Nampu resting his arms on the railing, by the door to the kitchen. "Me and Ryozo have tried getting him out of his workshop, but he's locked the door. And I think he's moved something on the trap door, because we couldn't get in through the storage room, either."

"Man… he's really keeping his focus on whatever he's building, isn't he?" KC mused, as he looked at the door to the workshop. "How does he keep it in there, anyway?"

"Look, that doesn't matter right now." Shin chimed in, as she placed her left hand on her hip. "What matters is finding out what's going on with the others. Even Chris hasn't gotten back, yet…"

Hearing that, Nampu got a mildly disconcerted look on his face, but thankfully, KC, Krystal and Shin didn't notice it. _Crap… Chris was not part of the plan! _"Um, you know, we could go find them ourselves!" he suddenly said, which made the three look up at him.

"We?" Shin repeated, as she raised an eyebrow. "Is that necessary? We could get either Jin or Omega to comb through the town in an instant, you know."

"Well…" Nampu began, just as he leapt over the railing, landing right besides KC and Krystal, before he swung his arms over their shoulders. "I figured that we three could go get them! Three pairs of eyes are better than one, you know!"

"That… doesn't really make sense, Nampu." Shin said, as she folded her arms. "Sure, there are more of you, but Jin can use his powers to fly around the town in a snap, and Omega can just scan the town for them from here… I think…"

"Relax, we won't take long!" Nampu said reassuringly, just as he began dragging both KC and Krystal after him, despite their protests. "We're not going to take long!" he called, before he took the two off the ship, heading towards the town.

As Nampu did this without even letting Shin give a rebuttal, she was left dumbstruck back on the ship. "…what's going on?" she uttered, when she recalled what Chris had told her earlier. "KC and Krystal… don't tell me that they're…" she said, before face-palming, groaning quite audibly. "Sheesh… I just hope that they don't make a large mess out of this."

* * *

The town wasn't too busy, but there were quite a number of people walking through the streets, which made things a bit problematic for Nampu, KC and Krystal, who had no luck in finding the others. "Not here, either…" KC muttered, as he exited a building, rubbing his head with an annoyed scowl on his face. "We're never gonna find them at this rate."

"Never say never, KC!" Nampu said reassuringly, as he patted the swordsman on his back. "We're gonna find them, if we have to turn this entire town upside-down!"

"Something we _could _have done if Zugai, Jin, Ryozo or Omega had gone instead of us three." Krystal remarked, making a tick appear on Nampu's forehead. "But I have to agree with KC; if we keep being huddled into a group, we won't find Chris, Haze or the others; at least not without spending the rest of the day looking."

"…then we should split up!" Nampu said, as he suddenly turned around, walking away from KC and Krystal. "I'!" he said quickly, before he vanished behind a street corner, leaving KC and Krystal by themselves.

"…so, did you catch that?" Krystal asked, as she looked at KC, who returned the look. As they did that, however, they suddenly looked away from each other, a slight pink blush going across their cheeks. "Um… let's go find the others, okay?" she said, gulping a bit.

"Yeah… let's." KC replied, as the two began walking the opposite direction Nampu had gone. As they walked, they eventually mustered up the courage to take each others hands as they walked, and while it would seem like a strange sight, since both of them still had their weapons with them, for someone hiding in an alley, it was quite charming.

"It's working!" Nampu giggled as he watched the two walk along the street, remaining completely inconspicuous. "Operation NAAFPTGKAKTOAFA is smoothly going along. Now, I should rendezvous with Haze, and then we'll regroup with the others back by the Howling Moon!" he snickered, before making his way to another alley, unaware that he was being trailed…

Meanwhile, as they walked along the street, even as they held hands, KC and Krystal kept their eyes peeled anywhere but towards themselves, looking for any clues regarding the others. Occasionally, they would happen to glance in each other's directions, but they would quickly look away from each other when that happened, with a slight blush on their cheeks. After a while, however, something caught their attention; a booth that seemed to be a shooting game, and four people standing in front of it, two of them glaring daggers at each other.

One of those glaring was a girl, whose hair reached down to her waist, being a light shade of blonde with crayola red tips, and she wore a black shirt covered by a brown and green camo jacket, along with matching jean shorts, and two belts hanging on her hips, one of them holding two revolvers, and the other a pouch. She also wore a pair of leather gloves with the fingers cut off, and she had a shotgun hanging on her back. "Get outta here; I was up first!" she said to the one she glared at, though as she smiled, it wasn't too clear if she was genuinely agitated, or trying to intimidate the other person.

Standing next to her was another girl, with lightly tanned skin, whose dark brown hair was tied up in two pigtails from the side of her head with red ribbons. She wore a traditional Japanese dress that reached down to her knees, with slits on the sides going up to her knees, and underneath that, she wore black tights that covered her thighs. On her waist, one could see a chain rolled up, with a Chinese fan at the end of it. "Look, we're not going to find him if we just stand around here. Maybe we should just-"

"Get real; it was my turn first, woman!" the man the blonde glared at retorted; his skin was, for some reason, greenish in tone, and he was wearing a blue bandana over his head, along with a blue vest, jeans and sandals. He, too, wore gloves that had the fingers cut off, and a pair of brass knuckles with knives jutting out was in his grip. "Or do you want to take it up with my partner, here?"

The partner in question was a gigantic, yet skinny man, at least ten feet tall, with quite pale skin, along with red, spiky hair and red eyes. He wore a plaid-designed woolen sweater and black leather pants, along with socks and a pair of white geta sandals, and a barrel-sized axe was hanging on his back. However, he didn't seem to hear his partner's call, as he turned around so he could see KC and Krystal, and a scowl appeared on his face. "Them… Leon, remember those guys?"

"Hn?" Turning around, Leon saw the two as well, and raised an eyebrow. "…I don't think I do, Sam. Who the hell are they supposed to be?"

When KC and Krystal got to see the pair, both of them got on the defensive; both he and Leon had been two who had tried killing Zugai way back in Loguetown, and Krystal had quite foul memories of Sam trying to knock her out so he could take advantage of her, though KC and Chris managed to save her. "How did you guys get all the way here from East Blue?" KC asked, as he cautiously held a hand by Zanmato's hilt.

"Well, when Sam says that he can step on everything, he does mean everything." Leon replied, as he walked past Sam, folding his arms and sneering. "After we got our asses thrown on a prison ship, some guys blew up the ship holding us, and Sam actually 'stepped' on the air, all the way to the Grand Line! Crazy story, huh?"

"Hardly." Sam chimed in, as he glared at KC. "You know, the scar you gave me still aches when I look at you… give me a good reason why I shouldn't cut you down where you stand." he said menacingly, reaching a hand for his axe.

"Hey!" the blonde suddenly called, as she folded her arms, tapping her foot impatiently against the ground. "We were gonna have a contest, right? So don't you dare back out of it, you hear?" she said, ignoring the look the brunette gave her.

Leon looked back at her for a brief moment, though when he noticed that Sam was actually leaving the site, his eyes widened. "Tsch…" he growled, when he suddenly noticed Krystal's bow. "…she's gonna take my place!" he suddenly said, grabbing Krystal and shoving her in front of the blonde, before he followed Sam.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Krystal called after Leon, though she got no answer. With a sigh, she eventually looked at the two women before her. "Well, looks like I'm his stand-in… what was that all about, anyway?"

"Well, it's this contest that my friend insisted on having…" the brunette sighed, before she looked at the booth, where two targets, one being red and one being blue, were moving against the wall; however, the actual targets painted on were quite small, and nearly unnoticeable. "The point of it was to have each contender fire one time at those targets, in an attempt to hit the bull's-eye. The one getting closest to hitting it…" Then, she pointed at a table inside of the booth, were a heart-shaped box was lying. "…wins that."

"A box with chocolate inside of it?" KC asked, as he looked at the box, before looking at the two women. "Don't you think it's a small price to win, considering those small targets?"

"Actually, those were designed by me." the blonde said, as she proudly jutted a thumb against her chest. "The targets they originally used in this booth were way too big for it to be any challenge, so I did some changes to them. Nifty, no?"

Krystal looked at the targets for a brief while, before looking at the box. "…well, why not?" she said, as she reached for her bow. "I could use some practice, and the box would make a-" she began, but the blonde cut her off by suddenly handing one of her revolvers to her. "Eh?"

"I would prefer it if you used a gun, actually, so I'll let you borrow mine." the blonde said, just as Krystal cautiously took hold of it. "But be careful with it; these guns are my treasure!"

With a nod, Krystal carefully aimed the revolver at the red target, whilst the blonde took out her other revolver as well, aiming it at the blue target. Both of them kept a steady aim, as they followed the targets as closely as they could. Then, at practically the same time, both of them pulled the trigger, and both of the targets fell off the wall, landing on the ground.

When KC looked at the two targets, his eyes widened; both of them had seemingly struck the bulls-eye. "Holy… so, are you two going to have to share the price, now?" he asked, just as the brunette picked up the targets.

"Hang on…" she muttered, as she carefully inspected the two targets, before placing the red target on the counter of the booth. "Close call, but the archer won by a few millimeters! Your aim must have been off." she said, as she placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, who gave out a little sigh.

"Oh, well, nothing to do about that." the blonde said, before she took the box, handing it to Krystal. "You got a good form. We should try a longer contest when we meet next time!" Then, both of the women began moving away from the booth, leaving KC and Krystal by themselves. "Take care, now!"

Both of them blinked as the two women left, but when they were out of eyesight, Krystal eventually handed the box to KC. "…here. For you." she said a bit bashfully, looking at the ground as she waited for KC to accept the box.

Blinking, KC slowly reached for the box. "Um… thanks." he said, and as he took hold of the box, his fingers coincidentally came in contact with Krystal's fingers. Once they realized that, both of them blushed, even as KC slowly pulled the box towards him. "Um… you sure that you don't want it?" he asked.

"I could probably take a few… but not the whole box." Krystal replied, as she could feel her heart beat a bit faster, and so did KC. However, they were quickly brought out of their stupor when a door next to the booth opened up, and a waiter with a thin moustache stepped out of it.

"Aah, you two look so adorable together!" the waiter cooed, as he held his hands together. "You two simply must come and enjoy our delicacies! On the house, I swear!" he said, which made both KC and Krystal blink out of confusion.

"On the house…?" Krystal repeated, as she looked from KC to the waiter. "Not to be rude, or anything, but I think you might regret suggesting-"

"On the house?" KC quickly repeated, before he looked at Krystal with a huge smile. "C'mon, Krystal, if it's on the house, it's bound to be good!"

"Perfect!" the waiter laughed, just as he grabbed both KC's and Krystal's arms, before pulling them into the building. "Trust me; you two will not regret this!" he added, before the door closed behind them.

* * *

"Hey, hey, what's wrong with you?" At the moment, Sam and Leon were walking away from the booth, into an alleyway, but whilst Sam walked away with an adamant look, Leon was more or less confused. "Just because you meet some guys I can't remember meeting, you throw a hissy fit? Oh, wait…" he said, as he slapped his forehead. "Don't tell me that you're _still_ thinking about killing the Demon's Orthopedic in the name of Steel Scythe? Forget about it; that guy's an enigma enough as it is! No way in hell is he gonna remember us!"

"You don't seem to see the bigger picture, Cameron." Sam retorted, without looking down at Leon. "If I kill him… then Steel Scythe can make me quite powerful. Then, I could make any woman obey me without fail."

"What the hell is with that bullshit?!" Leon said in a tone of disbelief, as he face-palmed. "Damn perv, that's what you are… look, even if I'd get paid a trillion Beri just for killing the Cross Skull Pirates, I still wouldn't go through with it! That water torrent to the face was more than enough to solidify that…"

"Tsch… weakling, that's what you are." Sam muttered, as he ignored the look Leon gave him. "To kill either Boom or Hopkins would make me pleased, but-"

"Hopkins?" a dark voice said, which made both Sam and Leon stop in their tracks. Looking back, they saw a pale man, with black hair extended all the way down to his chin in the front, though in the back, it barely extended past the top of his neck. He wore a white, untucked and unbuttoned dress shirt, with a midnight blue dress coat over it, along with matching pants and black shoes, and on his hip, a large, black sword resided. "I'm guessing Chris Hopkins, judging from your talk of the Cross Skull Pirates."

Whilst Sam scowled and reached for his axe, Leon cautiously lifted his hands, making sure his brass knives were visible. "And you are?" he asked, licking his lips with his long tongue.

"My name is Nikolai Iman, but you two may call me Black Widow." the man replied, as he reached for the black sword's hilt. "And let me tell you, right here and now… young Hopkins will not die by any of your hands… for his life will end at the mercy of Tsukumo."

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, I know, I'm super-late with this one, but I have to be honest; this chapter was a pain to write. You wouldn't know how many days I spent, looking at complete blankness right after the chapter title, only because of severe writer's block. But, I overcame it, and here we are! Just remember to read and review, and I'll be seeing you for the next one! And no, I'm not gonna make any obvious jokes with the chapter number.

**YolkaEd**


	69. Blue Lightning's Thunderclap part 1

Inside of the restaurant, things had gotten fairly hectic, though not because of any dramatic reasons; rather, the three words 'on the house' had been a catalyst for KC to begin ordering just about everything on the menu, which meant that he and Krystal basically needed to sit by a buffet table, which was now filled with numerous plates, courtesy of KC. Krystal, on the other hand, had barely even begun with her second dish.

"Wtsh rng, Krshtl?" KC asked with his mouth full of food, not even taking time to fully swallow what he had in his mouth before speaking. "Rnt u hgry?"

"No, it's nothing like that…" Krystal said with a small laugh. "…but you're eating so fast that I can't even focus on my own meal." she added, before she returned her attention to her own dish, when she suddenly realized something; she had never returned the revolver she had borrowed from the blonde. "Um, KC…"

"Wht ish it?" KC asked, as he looked up at Krystal, letting her see his cheeks bulging out from his mouth being stuffed with food. Put simply, seeing KC like that made Krystal forget about having to return the revolver to its rightful owner.

"…nothing, KC." she said with a smile. "Just keep it up." she added, before she began eating from her own plate, just as KC continued digging into the food he had. Why she didn't bring the revolver issue up was beyond her, though she guessed that aside from night watches and in the heat of battle, this had been the first time in a long while that they had spent genuine time together.

As this went on, the waiter stood by the doors leading to the kitchen, looking at the table KC and Krystal sat by with a horrified expression. "My lord… how much can one kid eat, anyway?" he uttered, before he entered the kitchen. "Alright, you three have some expla-" he began, when he noticed something quite extraordinary.

Namely, the entire kitchen, from ceiling to floor, was completely squeaky clean, with faint signs of sparkles and glitter everywhere. And huddled in one corner, some of the chefs were standing in complete awe. "Wh-what's wrong?" the waiter said, as he approached the chefs. "Where are the three helpers that showed up earlier today?!"

"They… they left." one of the chefs said, before he stumbled, leaning against the wall. "That was intense… she could sweep a floor like no man's business."

"By the way, they left this behind when they were done." another chef said, as he handed the waiter a note. With a shaky hand, the waiter snatched the paper, and began reading it.

"_Dear Waiter-Person: By the time you'll read this, we're basically done. As the deal proclaimed, in exchange for a free all-you-can-eat buffet for one guy with three swords and a girl with an bow and arrow quiver clearly showing on their persons, we've cleaned every inch of the kitchen, including whatever loose tableware, pans and other things we could get that weren't in use of said people. It didn't take long, but one of us got a bit carried away. Anyways, thanks for letting us go through with this! xoxo_" Accompanying this letter, three small drawings were found at the bottom of the paper; a maid's outfit, a Lolita-styled dress, and a robe with a hood.

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Blue Lightning's Thunderclap part 1**

**The Magic Swordsman vs. The Black Widow**

* * *

Outside the restaurant, Haze was standing in front of the main entrance, holding a pair of bags in her hands, filled with groceries. "The others should be done by now… weren't we supposed to meet up here when it was done?" she muttered, when she heard something, reminiscent of whistling.

"Hey, Haze… over here." she heard a familiar voice say, and turning her head, she saw Nampu's head sticking out behind the corner of the restaurant. With a sigh of relief, she went over to him. "Haze, what's going on? Weren't you with the others?" he asked.

"Well, you see…" Haze began, as she handed one of the bags to Nampu. "…Shin nearly blew our cover, but we managed to gloss it over; however, she gave us a grocery list, and since we didn't want our cover blown, we decided that Maria, Yu and Craigmirra should proceed with the plan, while I took care of the groceries. Speaking of, you haven't seen them, have you?"

"Not yet, but I have seen KC and Krystal entering the restaurant." Nampu replied, before he clenched his hands, grinning excitedly. "This is great! Operation NAAFPTGKAKTOAFA went by without a hitch! Now, all we have to do is wait, and they'll be a happy couple, once and for all!"

"So, _that_ was your brilliant plan? Getting KC and Krystal together for free lunch?" a female voice said, and even though Haze was shocked when she heard it, Nampu, being caught up in a moment of glory, proudly placed his hands on his hips and grinned.

"That was exactly it!" he laughed, though it suddenly subsided when he realized who the voice's owner was. "…we're so busted, aren't we?" he uttered, just as he turned around, and there stood Chris, her own hands on her hips, and a mischievous grin on her face.

"Busted like you wouldn't believe!" she said tauntingly, sticking her tongue playfully out at Nampu. "Now, how did you put up this restaurant to get those two free lunch, anyway?" she inquired, before leaning against the wall.

Nampu growled, before he folded his arms and pouted. "…we had the girls ask if they could clean their kitchen up in return." he muttered. "Don't tell me that you're gonna tell Zugai on us?"

"What, and miss what wonders you five have planned?" Chris replied with a laugh, before she looked around. "Now where are Craigmirra, Maria and Yu? I really ought to see the looks on their faces when they realize that you've been busted."

"They're either inside of the restaurant, or they've gone back to the rendezvous point…" Haze muttered, which made Nampu look at her with a stunned look.

"Rendezvous point? We didn't plan a rendezvous point!" he said in disbelief, which made Haze scratch her head bashfully, and Chris nearly burst out with laughter.

"Well, since we were gonna split up, we decided to have a rendezvous point by the outskirts of town, and if all of us weren't there in 15 minutes, those there would go back to the ship…" Haze said, which only made Nampu groan.

"My, sounds like you've got quite the elaborate plan going on." a male voice said, something that startled Nampu, Chris and Haze. "Would you mind telling me about it?" Then, all three of them suddenly turned their heads, only to see a man wore a white T-shirt, dark pants and an unbuttoned dress coat. His hair was a silver color, and spiked up, with some strands falling in front of his face, sort of like bangs. His left ear was also pierced with a small chain, where a skull earring hung from it. Another thing of note was that he was just as tall as Zugai was.

"…and you are?" Nampu asked cautiously, as he looked curiously at the newcomer. However, at that moment, Chris suddenly collapsed on her rear as she looked at this man, her heart beating rapidly, and her breath fairly short. "H-hey, Chris! Chris, what's wrong?!"

"Ooh, so that's Chris Hopkins?" the newcomer laughed, before he stretched a hand out to Chris, but instead of taking it, she actually backed away from the man. "I haven't met you in person until this moment, and let me tell you, it's an honor to finally do so." he said with a smile, a glint visible in his black eyes.

"Chris, what's wrong?" Nampu repeated, before he looked at Haze, who looked surprised, but not as shocked as Chris was. "Haze, who is this guy?!"

"That's…" Haze said, before she gulped. "…I remember his face from wanted posters. He's the Puppet Master, captain of the Blue Lightning Pirates… Lance Wright." Upon hearing these names, Chris actually hid herself behind Nampu, looking fearfully at Lance, who seemed more or less confused.

"B-Blue Lightning Pirates…" Chris uttered, as she gulped. "So… does that mean that…"

"Wait, now I get it!" Lance said, as he snapped his fingers. "You must be worried about Nikolai, am I right?" When he said that name, however, Chris became even more frightened than before. "Oh, he's told me a lot about you, Chris… mostly the fact that he hates your guts, but still."

"Nikolai?" Nampu asked, as he tilted his head. "Who's that?"

"What, you've been on the Grand Line for about a month or so, and you don't know about us?" Lance said, before chuckling. "I know people from East Blue aren't too familiar with the Grand Line, but to never have heard our names before… that's a first-time occurrence, if I ever heard of one."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Nampu said, just when he heard something like sobbing. Blinking, he turned his head, only to see that Chris was clutching onto him, sobbing and shaking out of sheer terror. "…Chris?"

"We… we have to leave." Chris uttered. "We have to find the others, and leave… now."

"_Hey, kid. It's not nice to steal, you know."_

"Chris, what are you talking about?" Haze said, as she placed a hand on Chris' shoulder. "What's gotten into you, all of a sudden?"

"_I'm not giving you any more chances, kid, so drop the damn dagger."_

"Hmm… this isn't exactly the meeting I had envisioned." Lance said with a shrug, before he scratched his cheek in thought. "I haven't seen Cedric, Amaya or Collette, either… wonder if all four of them got lost, or something."

"_Chris, eh? I promise to make sure to tell my captain all about you… when you've died."_

"Tsch… Haze, get Chris back to the Howling Moon." Nampu said, as he looked back at Lance. "I'll hurry and find the other three." Then, he began running past Lance, who seemed pretty disinterested by this strategy.

"Soru." he said playfully, before suddenly vanishing and reappearing right in front of Nampu, startling him. "You're not leaving now, are you? I haven't even met your captain yet, Unpredictable Storm!" he said with a grin, before rubbing Nampu's head. "How about this; you and Pinky over there can go look for your crewmates, and I can take Chris to your ship. It's anchored by the shore south of town, right? I think I'll find my way."

At that moment, however, something struck the front of the restaurant, which shook the ground, startling Nampu, Haze and Lance, but Chris was already too shaken up to even notice it. "Wh-what the hell was that?!" Nampu uttered, just as he raced to the corner, peeking around it to see what had happened.

As it turned out, what had struck the restaurant was Cameron Leon, who fell to his knees after having been launched from an alley. "Kkh… shit! Why's he attacking me, too?!" he growled, as he licked blood from his lips.

At that moment, someone else was sent skidding out of the alley, and as it turned out, it was Sam, holding his axe at the ready, and with a scowl on his face. "His power is something else…"

"Flattery won't save you." a dark voice said, and stepping out of the alley was Nikolai, his black sword held at the ready. "Now, who wants to die first?" he said coldly, before pointing the sword at Sam.

"Don't underestimate me." Sam growled, before he raised his foot. "Ground Dance!" Then, suddenly stomping his foot into the ground, a massive fissure opened up, headed towards Nikolai at a great speed. However, Nikolai simply jumped over this attack, aiming to strike Sam when he got in range. Suddenly, Leon leapt in Nikolai's path, slashing his Bagh Nakh against the black sword.

"Look, I don't know who you are, or what your beef with us is…" Leon began, as he pushed away from Nikolai when they hit the ground again. "…but if you kill my partner, I'm screwed on this sea! Tongue Strike!" Then, he suddenly shot his tongue out at Nikolai, and with such an attack, the swordsman was caught off guard, the tongue striking him in the gut, sending him skidding back, though not enough to send him toppling into the fissure.

"…was that it?" Nikolai uttered, as he cracked his neck, before lifting the black sword so that the blade pointed down. "I hardly felt anything." Then, along a thin canal on the side of the sword, a light blue color filled it, before he pointed the blade at Leon.

"Tsch… Tongue Whip!" Leon yelled, as he lashed his tongue out at Nikolai once again, but this time, Nikolai caught the tongue with his free hand, keeping a firm grip on it. "Akh- AAAH! LT G F M TNG, DMT!" Leon yelled, just as Nikolai pulled the chameleon-like man towards him, before slashing the sword at him when he got close enough, leaving a cut along his side.

However, the wound seemed to have some effect on Leon, as when Nikolai let go of the tongue, Leon held his head woozily, as something blue secreted out from the wound. "Wha… what's going on?" he uttered, just as he turned around to face Sam, only for him to attain a shocked look. "You… how the hell did _you _find me?!"

Sam raised an eyebrow, as he cautiously raised one leg. "What are you talking about, Leon?"

At that moment, Leon growled, before licking his lips. "Oh no… you're not getting me! Not again! Keep your needles to yourself!" Then, he shot his tongue up at the restaurant behind Sam, bringing him up to the wall in a flash, before he leapt off the wall, aiming to strike Sam. "Flying Heel Drop!" he called, as he intended to perform a heel drop on Sam.

However, Sam was quicker. "Equality Kick!" he called, as he spun around, delivering a kick aimed at Leon, which sent an energy wave shaped like an equality sign through the chameleon-man, knocking him out. "Tsch… what did you do to him?" he uttered, just as he turned around, stomping his foot just as Nikolai was about to attack him. "Sandal Offer!" At that moment, Nikolai was frozen to the spot, as sandals with the same color and pattern as the ground swarmed around his feet.

"Some Devil Fruit…" Nikolai uttered, before he swung his sword around, glaring at Sam. "Do you intend to release me?"

"I intend to kill you first." Sam said with a calm smirk, before he lifted his axe, ready to strike Nikolai down. "Red Sandal!" he called, as he swung the axe at Nikolai. However, Nikolai swung to counter this, not only blocking the attack, but also shattering the axe in one blow. "Wha…"

"Just because your foe is immobilized, doesn't mean he can't act." Nikolai replied coldy, before slashing at Sam once more, leaving a brutally deep gash across his chest. "Remember that, if you survive." Then, as Sam collapsed to his knees, Nikolai readied his blade, so he could impale Sam…

All of a sudden, the door to the restaurant opened, and out of it ran both KC and Krystal, looking at the scene with shocked looks. "What's going on here?" KC asked, just as he noticed Nikolai, who looked at him with a dull look. "…and you are?"

"…Magic Swordsman." he mused, just as he took the sword closer to his chest, cracking his neck again. "You'll tell me where to find Hopkins." Then, he suddenly rushed at KC, delivering a mighty slash aimed at KC's gut. Thankfully, KC quickly drew Zanmato, and blocked the strike, locking the two swordsmen in a standstill. "…impressive. But not enough to halt Tsukumo." he said coldly.

As he repelled the blade, KC found out something that shocked him; though he pressed the edge of Zanmato against the black sword, he found that he was unable to move at all, and judging from the exchange of power, Nikolai wasn't even putting much force into pushing the blade. _No way… I can't move Zanmato further ahead! This guy's strong… _With a grunt, KC finally managed to push away from Nikolai, though the black-haired swordsman stood firmly in place when he did so.

"…too weak." Nikolai scoffed, before he swung his sword around for a short while. "Unless you tell me where I can find Hopkins, you will not leave this island alive."

Around the corner, Nampu, Haze and Lance were watching this fight, with varying amounts of astonishment. "No way… KC can't make him budge?" Haze uttered, at such a low voice level that Nikolai, KC or Krystal couldn't hear him. "What kind of power does that guy have?"

"Well, he _is_ my first mate, so obviously, he's pretty strong…" Lance mused, before he threw a casual glance back at Chris, who was actually leaning against the wall, on the verge of hyperventilating. "…but you know, unless he finds little Chris here, he's really going to kill your friend."

Hearing that, Nampu spun around to face Lance with a shocked look on his face. "You… you're not serious, aren't you?!" Nampu nearly screamed, though he kept his volume down, so he couldn't be heard by anyone but Chris, Lance and Haze. "But… you're his captain! Can't you stop him, or something?!"

Lance merely shrugged, as he looked back at the impending fight. "Well, I could do that… but truth be told, I'm curious to see how well the Magic Swordsman will hold against Nikolai. If you want to try stopping him, by all means, be my guest." Hearing that, both Nampu and Haze grudgingly looked back at the scene.

As this went on, Chris began massaging her temples, in an attempt to calm down. _Goddamnit, Chris, pull yourself together… _she thought, as she glanced at Nampu, Lance and Haze. _…maybe if I run like hell back to the Moon, he won't… _Lost in her own thoughts, she bit her knuckle in an attempt to focus. _But if I do that, then KC'll…_

"Listen, pal, I don't know what you want with Chris…" KC uttered, as he placed Zanmato in his mouth, before pulling out his falcatas, glaring at Nikolai. "…but if you think I'm gonna tell you anything, you got another thing coming! Krystal, move aside!" he said, glancing at Krystal, who quickly moved away from the restaurant door.

"…so be it." Nikolai scoffed, before he rushed at KC again, slashing the black sword at him, though KC was quick to block the strike with all three of his swords, this time keeping both of them at a standstill. "You can't play defensively forever, Magic Swordsman." Then, before KC could hope to counter, Nikolai began furiously slashing the black sword at KC, barely giving him any opportunity to catch his breath.

Just as Nikolai swung his sword downwards, however, KC rolled out of the way, before he crossed his falcatas, glaring at Nikolai, just as all of his swords began glowing red, before they were set ablaze. "Yakigiri!" Suddenly, KC dashed right at Nikolai, uncrossing his blades and sending a wave of flames right at the swordsman. However, before the wave could even get close to Nikolai, he swung the black sword right at it, cutting it in half so it passed right by him. "Uh?"

"Do you honestly think that the elements will be enough to defeat me?" Nikolai mused, before he lifted the black sword again. "With Tsukumo, I aim to become the best swordsman of all. Some amateur magician couldn't hope to stand against me."

"Who are you calling an amateur, you arrogant jerk?!" was the reply he got, though not from KC, but from Krystal, who was standing further down the street, her hands clenched into fists. "KC's going to master the Sword of Light and Santoryu! You've got no right to call him an amateur, just because you aim to be the best!"

Both KC and Nikolai looked back at Krystal with astounded looks when she said this, though Nikolai merely scoffed when she was finished. "Him, master Santoryu? The style that defeated Hawkeyes Mihawk?" he mused, just as he strengthened the grip on his sword, before lowering the blade. "Very well. I'll stand in place for five minutes. I won't do anything besides defending myself. Try landing a blow on me, Magic Swordsman."

Narrowing his eyes, KC gripped the handles of his swords tightly. "Alright, you asked for it!" he said, before he rushed at Nikolai. Immediately, he began swinging his swords at the swordsman, though as he swung, Nikolai merely moved his sword to block the strikes from hitting him. _Damn… this guy's unreal!_

With a growl, KC suddenly swung his left falcata at Nikolai, but again, the strike was blocked. Despite this, KC was adamant in grinding the falcata's blade against the blade of Tsukumo, before he suddenly swung his right falcata at Nikolai, intending to get him when he couldn't defend himself. "…clever." Nikolai scoffed, before he pulled the black sword so that while the left falcata was still grinding against Tsukumo's blade, the right falcata was blocked by the black blade as well. "But not enough."

"Shit!" In desperation, KC suddenly swung Zanmato right at Nikolai, but predictably enough, Nikolai managed to have Tsukumo block that strike as well. _Man… this guy is really unlike anyone I've ever faced. _Growling, KC finally leapt away from Nikolai, who weighed the black sword with a bored look on his face. _But… I think I can take him with this trick! _Then, both his falcatas suddenly turned both red and blue, before he slammed the two blades against each other, creating a massive field of mist that covered not only him, but Nikolai as well, blocking anyone from seeing what was going on between them.

As the mist enveloped him, Nikolai looked cautiously around, his eyebrow raised. "Hiding isn't going to help you, Magic Swordsman." he said dryly, as he waited for something to happen. Then, all of a sudden, KC leapt right at him, trying to slash his swords at Nikolai. However, with a sigh, the swordsman simply thrust his sword right into KC, impaling him. "Fool."

"Aren't you opening your mouth a little too soon?" he heard KC say, though to his surprise, KC suddenly vanished after being impaled on Tsukumo. Then, from behind Nikolai, KC suddenly rushed at him, slashing his swords at the swordsman once more. However, Nikolai responded to this by cutting KC in half before he could even reach him. "Missed me!" However, KC's body vanished once more, despite having been cut in half.

Nikolai raised an eyebrow at this phenomenon, before looking around him. "…I get it." he scoffed, before he raised Tsukumo. "You're using the mist to send fake versions of yourself at me. But if you think that will be enough, you are sorely mistaken, Magic Swordsman."

"Then try THIS on for size!" At that moment, all around Nikolai, several KC's rushed at him, in an attempt to slash him with their swords. Gritting his teeth, Nikolai quickly began cutting away any KC's that got close to him, as well as blocking any strikes that were about to hit him. "What's wrong? You're not even scratching me!"

"To be fair, Magic Swordsman, neither have you." Nikolai pointed out, just as he repelled some of the strikes, before suddenly spinning around his own axis, Tsukumo held out. This allowed him to cut through every single KC that approached him, before eventually, the wind generated from this attack blew away the mist around him, leaving Nikolai alone in the street. "Hmph… ran away?"

"Not quite." he heard someone say behind him, which made him look over his shoulder, to see KC there, with his back turned towards Nikolai. "Tou Rou Kasumi!"

At that point, Nikolai felt something trickle down his right cheek. Blinking, he placed his hand against it, before looking at it, showing that it was a crimson liquid. Blood. _His _blood. "…you cut me." he uttered, before looking back at KC, who finally turned to face Nikolai. "…you're not half bad."

KC blinked as he said this, before raising his falcatas. "So, care to tell me just what you want with Chris, anyway?" he said, just as Nikolai scoffed.

"I have no obligation to tell you anything." he scoffed, before he raised Tsukumo again. "But now, it ends. Soru!" Before KC could make sense of things, Nikolai had vanished, before reappearing in his face, preparing to swing Tsukumo right down at KC. With a yelp, KC quickly jumped out of the way before the blade could hit him.

Just as he landed, however, Nikolai reappeared right in front of him, slashing Tsukumo vertically at KC. In desperation, KC lifted his falcatas to block the attack, and even though he successfully blocked it, he was still sent skidding back many feet. "What…" KC uttered, just as Nikolai vanished again.

"Too slow." Quickly turning around, KC saw Nikolai about to slash him, though KC was quick enough to raise his left falcata to protect himself. However, as the two blades collided, it didn't take long for the falcata to actually shatter as Nikolai applied more pressure, which resulted in KC taking quite the nasty wound across his chest, forcing him to his knees. "Hmph… that's it." Nikolai grunted, before he lifted Tsukumo again, preparing to slash KC, just as something green filled the black blade's canal. "Die."

"STOP!" Suddenly, Krystal ran between KC and Nikolai, glaring at the black-haired swordsman. "I won't let you harm him! If you want to get to him, you'll have to go through me!"

"…alright." Then, to the shock of just about everyone watching, Nikolai slashed Tsukumo right at Krystal, leaving a wound across her chest. The force of the blow, however, was enough to send her flying right into the restaurant, where she lay knocked out.

"Krystal!" KC yelled, though as he did that, Nikolai suddenly stabbed Tsukumo right into KC's shoulder, knocking KC to the ground, and keeping him there. "Kkh… why are you…"

"It's too bad…" Nikolai scoffed, as he glanced at Krystal, before looking down at KC. "If you had told me what I wanted to know, I would have spared you. But now, you're both going to die." As he said this, he pulled Tsukumo out of KC's body, before raising the black sword over his head.

Behind the corner, both Nampu and Haze had horrified expressions on their faces, whereas Lance had a concerned look on his. "There he goes again…" he muttered, before cracking his neck. "I should probably go and tell him to-" he began, just as someone ran past them. "Hn?"

"Nikolai!" Before Nikolai could lower the blade on KC, the sound of Chris' voice was enough to make the swordsman look behind him, to see Chris standing before him, her entire body shaking with fear. "L-leave my friends alone."

"…Hopkins." Nikolai uttered, as he turned away from KC, before approaching Chris. "I'm surprised. You've grown since we last saw each other…" he muttered, before he stopped right in front of Chris, looking down at her. "You still have my dagger?"

"It's… it's mine, now." Chris replied with a gulp, as she looked up at Nikolai and his steel blue eyes. "Y-you can't have it back."

"Oh, I will have it back." Nikolai uttered with an unnerving smirk, just as he raised Tsukumo. "That dagger was the one thing that helped me survive when I was alone… I will not have a child claim ownership over it."

"Enough, Nikolai!" At that point, Lance emerged from the corner, as he walked towards Nikolai and Chris, glaring at Nikolai. "I can't believe you sometimes; first you mortally wound random pirates we've never met before, and now you try to kill one of them? I am ashamed."

"Lance…" Nikolai uttered as he looked at the silver-haired man, before he lowered Tsukumo. "Don't try to stop me. He came to me of his own free will, so he'll face the consequences."

"And you're just going to leave all three of their bodies here, especially with your venom in two of them?" Lance said, before he sighed. "Look… take the two kids and Chris back to the base, and let Collette take care of the kids. You've caused enough of a scene here as it is."

Nikolai blinked, before he eventually nodded. "…fine. I'll do as you say." he said, as he sheathed Tsukumo. Then, before anyone could react, he suddenly punched Chris in the gut, knocking her out in one strong blow. Then, as she collapsed, he picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder, before he vanished, just as KC and Krystal vanished as well.

The field of battle was now silent, as Lance stood alone, rubbing his temples. Then, he turned towards the corner of the restaurant, when he saw Nampu approach him. "Listen, I-" he began, when all of a sudden, Nampu slammed his iron pipe right in Lance's gut, making the taller man keel over in pain.

"Why didn't you stop him earlier?!" Nampu yelled, as he slammed the pipe into Lance again, before eventually resorting to beating him up with the pipe, though Lance didn't resist this punishment. "You're his captain! Now he's got Chris, KC and Krystal! Who knows what he's going to do with them! WHY DIDN'T YOU DO ANYTHING?!"

Before he could slam the pipe into Lance again, Haze suddenly grabbed the pipe from behind him, looking at Nampu with saddened eyes. "Nampu… please, don't take it out on him." she said.

Lance coughed, as he got back on his feet, looking down at Nampu. "That was uncalled for…" he said bluntly, as he wiped some blood off his lips. "Look, Nikolai's not going to hurt the Magic Swordsman or the Explosive Archer anymore. Collette will treat their wounds, and they'll be fine as day. Chris, on the other hand…"

"So you can't do anything?" Haze asked, as she looked at Lance with almost begging eyes. "You can't persuade him to leave Chris alone?"

"…I think we can make a compromise." Lance eventually said, as he turned away from the two. "On the northern edge of town is a hotel. Currently, the Blue Lightning Pirates are staying there for the hell of it." Then, he looked back at them. "Tonight's a full moon, so Chris will be safe until the night comes. You can come and pick up your crewmates anytime you want, though the longer you wait… the more Chris' life is endangered." Before Nampu and Haze could question him further, he vanished.

"…damn it…" Nampu uttered, as he looked at where KC had been lying, as he could see the shards of the broken falcata. "What are we going to do?"

"The only thing we _can_ do, Nampu." Haze said, as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "We've got to tell Zugai. Come on!" Then, she pulled Nampu after her, as they rushed away from the scene…

* * *

**A/N: **AAAAAAAAAARGHHHH, THIS IS TOO LATE! Yeah, sorry for delaying so much with this chapter, but I really have been lacking the motivation to even write lately. Well, in any case, hope you enjoyed this, despite the long wait! Trust me, 70 will come out much sooner than this did!

**YolkaEd**


	70. Blue Lightning's Thunderclap part 2

The sun was beginning to set in the horizon, as three people were approaching the Howling Moon; Maria, Yu and Craigmirra. All three of them were in quite high spirits, and it was sort of understandable, if you knew what they had gone through. "I still can't believe that you went over the floor three times, Maria!" Craigmirra laughed, as she was riding on the fishwoman's shoulders.

"I-I have to admit, I surprise myself sometimes…" Maria said sheepishly. "B-but you two did a whole lot yourselves, right?"

"Not as much as you did." Yu said, with the faintest hint of a chuckle. "If anything, Nampu knows how to keep people occupied."

"Is that all you can think of as a cap on today's events?" Craigmirra laughed, as she reached out to Yu, rubbing her head. "If anything, I'd say that we three make one hell of a team!"

"Do you please think that you could mind the language, Craigmirra?" Maria said with a mild laugh, just as the three got to the side of the Moon. "It's getting late… hopefully, Nampu or Haze could find out when the Log sets on a new island."

"If you're looking for them, they haven't gotten back yet." Hearing Shin's voice, all three of the girls froze in place out of shock, before they looked up towards the railing, where Shin was leaning against it. "And neither have Chris, KC or Krystal, for that matter."

"…wait, hang on." Yu uttered, as she scratched her forehead, even with her hood covering her face. "You're saying that Chris went into town?"

"Yeah, she went ahead and followed you guys." Shin nodded, just as she swung out a ladder for the three to climb aboard the ship with. "From what I gather, she didn't get spotted. Now, tell me; just what you guys been up to?"

As the three girls climbed aboard the Moon, they were at a loss for words. "Um, well…" Maria began once they got on deck, as she twiddled her thumbs.

"I think maybe Nampu could tell you the answer to that." Yu said with a shrug, as she threw a glance towards the town, just as she noticed something. To make sure that she was seeing properly, she pulled down her hood to get a better look. "…hey, there's Nampu and Haze!"

Indeed, both Nampu and Haze were now visible, coming from the town, with distressed looks on their faces. "Why… why are they rushing like that?" Maria mused, as she watched them. "I hope Nampu didn't do anything reckless…"

As the pair eventually reached the ship, it became heavily apparent that something was very wrong. "Hey, slow down, you two! What's the matter?" Shin asked, as Nampu and Haze climbed aboard the Moon.

"Look, I'd love to chat, but I need to talk to Zugai. Do you know where he is?" Nampu asked, without bothering to catch his breath.

"He's still in his workshop." Shin shrugged, just as Haze handed her a bag with groceries in them. "Jin, Ryozo and Omega went down below deck to count our stock, and when they tried that trap-door, it was sealed tight. But why do you need to see-"

Before Shin could get the faintest hint of an answer, Nampu suddenly rushed towards the door leading into Zugai's workshop, before he began hammering the door with his fist. "Zugai, open the door now! We've gotten into some serious problems!" As he continued hammering, eventually, Jin, Ryozo and Omega emerged from the door leading to the storage room, letting them notice Nampu, thus ensuring that every crewmember present was looking at him. "For the love of god, Zugai, stop tinkering with bones and get your ass out here!"

That seemed to be enough, as at that point, the door swung open, letting out a massive cloud of steam from the room, and lo and behold, Zugai stood in the door opening. "What's wrong?" he uttered, as he looked at Nampu with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you so shaken up?"

"Zugai, you've gotta listen!" Nampu began, as he grabbed hold of his captain's shoulders. "There was this guy, and he was really strong, and he utterly trounced some other guys, and then he met KC, and… LOOK, WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! LIVES ARE AT STAKE, AND IF YOU DON'T DO SOMETHING, WE'RE GONNA LOSE-"

Just before Nampu could utter another word, Zugai slapped his cheek, though not with intent of harming him, but rather to calm him down. "You're going to bust an artery, if you react like that." he said in an almost casual tone, before he placed his own hands on Nampu's shoulders. "Now, if you could calm down, and tell me what's up, I'd appreciate it."

"…thanks, I needed that." Nampu uttered, as he rubbed the place where Zugai had slapped him. "But anyway… look, I'll give you the abridged version; Chris, KC and Krystal… they were kidnapped."

This made Zugai blink, as he let go of Nampu. "…kidnapped?" he said, as he folded his arms. "Just who could do that?"

"Does the Blue Lightning Pirates ring a bell?" Haze said, which made the pirates look at her. "…not for the majority, I guess. Anyway, they're renowned as a strong pirate crew on the Grand Line, and act as some sort of border patrol. Whenever a new ship sails into the ocean, they might test the mettle of those pirates for the hell of it."

"Blue Lightning Pirates… I think I've heard mention of that name." Omega uttered, as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Yes… it's coming together. Rumor has it that they're just about as powerful as Seigyoki's crew, if not even stronger. Their crew consists of their doctor, 'Razor Fan' Collette Pierce, their sharpshooter, 'Eagle Eye' Amaya Dior, the first mate, 'Black Widow' Nikolai Iman, the captain, 'Puppet Master' Lance Wright, and his younger brother, 'Devil Emissary' Cedric Wright."

"That's right." Haze nodded. "And Nikolai's the guy who kidnapped the three… well, kidnapped Chris, to be precise."

"What do you mean, 'to be precise'?" Shin inquired, as she folded her arms, looking at Haze. "Nampu just said that KC and Krystal were kidnapped as well."

"That doesn't matter at this point." Zugai suddenly said, in a sudden shift of tone, from casually neutral to menacingly neutral. "Haze, did you see where they went?"

"No…" Haze began, before she snapped her fingers. "…but he said that they were residing at a hotel on the north side of town. And if we wanted to save Chris, we had to get there before the full moon comes in… tonight."

Hearing this, Zugai nodded, as he turned away, towards the workshop. "Then it's settled. Jin, Maria, Ryozo, Omega; you guys suit up." he said, before entering the shop, the door slowly closing behind him. "I've been working on this for as long as I've been in here… when you're ready, we go to that hotel, and get our crewmates back." he said, just as the door closed behind him.

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Blue Lightning's Thunderclap part 2**

**Awaiting the Inevitable Clash**

* * *

On Hanyo Island, there were about five hotels that people could sleep in, in case they needed a break after they were done with a hard day's work. However, in recent times, that number has sunk to four, as on the north side of the island, a certain pirate crew commandeered a hotel for their own uses, with little intention of handing it back just yet. This pirate crew was the Blue Lightning Pirates.

At the moment, the entire crew seemed to be inside of the hotel, but the tension there was at its peak. Due to their navigator's latest fight, their doctor had more than enough to deal with, which meant the enlistment of their sharpshooter. Just now, their captain was walking through the halls of the hotel, glancing out the window every so often. This silver-haired man was known as Lance Wright, the 'Puppet Master'. "Hrm… it's getting late." he mused, as he looked upwards, just as he bumped into someone. "Oh… 'scuse me, Amaya, I didn't see you there."

"No, no, it's my bad, captain." the girl he bumped into replied, her hair reaching down to her waist, being a light shade of blonde with crayola red tips. She wore a black shirt covered by a brown and green camo jacket, along with matching jean shorts, and two belts hanging on her hips, one of them holding two revolvers, and the other a pouch, along with a pair of leather gloves with the fingers cut off, and a shotgun hanging on her back. This girl was known as Amaya Dior, 'Eagle Eye'. "I wasn't watching where I was going." she said with a smile.

"I see…" Lance muttered, as he nodded. "I take it that you and Collette fixed them up?" he asked, though Amaya only shook her head in denial as a reply.

"We're still treating them. Collette's still flustered about how badly he messed them up…" she said, before folding her arms. "Both of them are under the influence of his Paralysis Venom, too, and we're out of the antidote down in the infirmary. I thought about swinging by your room to get more."

"Really?" Lance mused, as he folded his arms. "Why not go in Nikolai's room? He's bound to have more of it than I do."

"I would, but…" Amaya began, as she scratched her neck. "…well, he's not done with him yet, is he? You know I can't stand the show Nikolai makes out of torturing someone. Anyway, I don't want to keep Collette waiting. Catch you later!" she said, before she ran past Lance.

"…right." Lance said to no one in particular, before he began walking again. The day's events had, needless to say, been hectic, even by his standards, and the beating he had gotten, while he didn't feel that he fully deserved it, had made him start thinking. _…maybe I should have intervened a little earlier… then there wouldn't be a situation like this. _he thought, before he placed a hand on his gut; the place he received the first blow. _…though I must admit, if the first mate has spirit like that, then what about the captain…?_

As he thought, he came across an half-open door. Out of curiosity, he peeked inside, letting him see three major things; the first two being the two kids lying in large beds; KC and Krystal. Both of them were bandaged, with wires connected to their bodies pumping blood into their bodies, as a result of what they had lost during their fateful confrontation earlier.

The third major thing was the woman who was treating the two; she had lightly tanned skin, with dark brown hair tied up in two pigtails from the side of her head with red ribbons. She wore a traditional Japanese dress that reached down to her knees, with slits on the sides going up to her knees, and underneath that, she wore black tights that covered her thighs. Also, on her waist, one could see a chain rolled up, with a Chinese fan at the end of it. This was Collette Pierce; 'Razor Fan'. As she took a quick breather to wipe sweat off her forehead, she noticed Lance standing outside the door. "Oh, Lance." she said, before smiling. "Are you feeling well?"

"Eh, could've been better and worse." Lance shrugged, as he casually entered the room, glancing at KC and Krystal, both of them completely still, as if they were sleeping. "You and Amaya really fixed them up, I have to say." he noted.

"They're not fixed just yet, Lance." Collette said, before she walked towards a cupboard, opening up some drawers in search of something. "Especially the Magic Swordsman; I'm surprised that he is even breathing, after Nikolai gave him those wounds. Poor kids…"

"They really are young, for pirates." Lance said, as he folded his arms. "He did remind me a bit of Cedric for a moment; using the mist to cut Nikolai. I think it's the first time I've seen Nikolai bleed, even."

"Yeah, a scratch on the cheek." Collette muttered, just as she pulled out a scalpel from one of the drawers, calmly observing its blade. "It's impressive that he could make Nikolai bleed, but a scratch like that isn't exactly a life-time achievement."

"I suppose…" Lance mused, as he glanced at Collette. "By the way… we may or may not get some guests tonight."

"You told the crew, I take it?" Collette mused, as she placed the scalpel on the surface of the cupboard, before chuckling. "That's exactly what I'd expect from you, Lance."

"When have I ever surprised you?" Lance chuckled, as he wrapped his arms around Collette from behind. "I think just as many times as you've surprised me." he added, with a bit of a flirting tone.

"Charmed." Collette retorted in a similar tone, before playfully pinching Lance's nose, making him let go of her. "Not to be rude, but I need space; I'll have trouble getting them on their feet if you're clinging to me, captain."

"Alright…" Lance uttered, as he rubbed his nose, before glancing back at the kids. "It should only be giving the antidote to them, and that'd be it, right? I wouldn't want their crewmates to accidentally worsen the damage."

"They'll need rest, that's for sure." Collette noted, just as she began looking through the drawers again. "But right now, apart from the antidote, I've done all I can. Too bad you can't keep their blood under check as well…"

As she made that comment, the door opened, and in walked Amaya, holding a syringe with a green liquid within it. "Found it!" she said with a smile, before glancing at the two. "But there's only enough for one of them…"

"What are you talking about?" Collette asked, as she glanced at Amaya. "There should be plenty of antidote left; that can't be the last syringe we've got left."

"It's likely the only thing she could find in my room." Lance shrugged, as he looked at Amaya as well. "After all, you didn't go into Nikolai's room, right?"

"No…" Amaya muttered, as she glanced at Collette. "After giving one of them the antidote, you could go get an extra syringe, Collette!"

"Why me, all of a sudden?" Collette asked, before she folded her arms. "Still, we have to decide who gets this dose first…"

"Kry…stal…" Hearing this, Lance, Amaya and Collette looked towards the source of the voice, who turned out to be KC, breathing heavily. "…give it… to… Krystal…" he coughed, before he closed his eyes.

"…that is new." Lance muttered, as he looked at KC, while Amaya and Collette looked towards Krystal. "He's by far the most injured out of the two… and he's insisting on having her have it first? He is a trooper, that much I can say."

"Then I guess it's decided." Collette nodded, before she walked towards a medicine locker, opening it up. "Amaya, I want you to administer the antidote; I'll put alcohol on the puncture when you're done." she said, as she took out a piece of cotton and a bottle of rubbing alcohol.

"Can do, Collette!" Amaya replied, as she walked towards Krystal, before carefully placing the needle of the syringe against the bare skin of Krystal's arm. "Here we go!" Then, she pressed the needle down, letting the green liquid in the syringe enter Krystal's body, causing her to stir a tiny bit.

"Thank you, Amaya. I'll take care of the rest." As Amaya stepped away from Krystal, Collette approached the archer, before carefully applying some of the alcohol on the cotton. As she lightly pressed the cotton against the puncture wound, she couldn't help but sigh as she watched Krystal stir in pain. "Poor girl…" she muttered, just as she closed her eyes.

At that moment, however, Krystal opened her own eyes, and happened to look at the three pirates before her. "You… you're from earlier…" she uttered, which made Amaya and Collette glance at her. "The shooting contest… right…?"

"Y-yeah." Amaya nodded, as she looked down at Krystal. "You took a really nasty blow, you know. You should try to rest; save up your strength, and all that."

Krystal blinked, before her eyes slightly widened. "Oh, yeah…" she uttered, as she weakly reached for her pocket. "You… you forgot your… revolver… with me…" Hearing that, Amaya carefully reached into Krystal's pocket, before pulling out the silver revolver. "I thought of… taking it back to you… but then he showed up, and…"

Amaya could only look at the revolver with wide eyes, before she gritted her teeth. In a huff, she suddenly left the room, leaving Lance and Collette to watch her leave. "Huh. Wonder what got into her…" Lance muttered, before he looked at Collette. "Are you going to get another syringe, or…"

"I'll get it." Collette said, as she began heading for the door as well. "I'll be back in a bit!" she added, before she vanished out the door.

This left Lance on his own, along with KC and Krystal, both of them seemingly asleep once more. Looking down at them, he couldn't help but sigh. _But if he has as much spirit as his first mate… is he going to be peaceful about this? _With that thought in mind, he headed out the door, closing it so that it was only slightly open.

As he began moving away from the door, however, he heard some moaning coming from inside the room. "KC… are you awake?" he heard Krystal say, and out of curiosity, he looked into the room, without moving the door, letting him see that Krystal weakly got out of bed.

"Y-yeah…" KC muttered, as he weakly glanced up at Krystal. "But… I can barely move. They said something about paralysis… you're not feeling it, are you?"

"No…" Krystal replied, as she moved closer to KC. "That must be why they're giving us antidotes… so the venom is terminated." As she stood by KC, she smiled a little. "…you're really reckless… you know that…?" she said, as she sank to her knees, running her fingers across KC's arm.

"Well… to be fair, he… he attacked first." KC noted, as he looked at Krystal as best he could. "Sorry… for letting you get hurt…" he uttered, but as he said that, Krystal placed a finger against his lips.

"Don't be…" she said, as she leant closer to him. "I did it… to try and protect you… so I'm really just… as reckless as you are…" As she leant closer to him, she placed her hand against KC's cheek. "But… love makes people do things like that… right?"

"…yeah… they do." KC said, just as Krystal placed her lips against KC's, unifying them in a kiss. For what seemed like only a few seconds to anyone else, felt like an eternity of bliss for the two of them. After a short while, the two broke apart, looking longingly into each other's eyes. "…I love you, Krystal…" KC uttered, as he smiled.

"And I… love you too, KC." Krystal replied, as she smiled as well, before giving KC another kiss. However, as they did that, Lance decided to leave the two alone, as he moved away from the door, carefully making sure not to make a sound.

_Those two are close, huh… _Lance thought, as he walked through the halls, glancing periodically out of the windows, noticing that it began raining outside. _And after something like that happened to them… love on the battlefield. Bizarre… _As he thought of that, he couldn't help but crack a smile.

After a short while, he eventually noticed Collette walking towards him, holding something in her hands. "Ah, you found it?" Lance asked casually, as he placed his hands behind his head. "How's he looking?"

"You mean Chris?" Collette asked, as she stopped right in front of Lance, before sighing. "He's a wreck. I'd happily treat him, but I'm not sure if Nikolai would approve of that… anyways, I got the antidote, so I'll be-" she began, just as Lance placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Actually, I think they'll need some rest, so we shouldn't disturb them just yet." he said with a smile, which made Collette raise an eyebrow. "Tell you what; I can give Boom the antidote myself later on. You ought to take a rest."

"And why can't I just administer the antidote to him before I take a rest?" Collette asked, as she folded her arms, looking at Lance with a smirk. "Is there something you're not telling me?"

"Nope." Lance replied. "I just want to be of some help, since I'm partially responsible for letting them end up like that." After he said that, he began looking around. "Speaking of, you haven't seen Cedric around, have you? I haven't seen him around lately…"

"I haven't seen him, either…" Collette muttered, as she gave out a sigh, just as she noticed someone behind Lance. "Oh, there he is!"

Turning around, Lance looked down to see a young boy with straight, silver hair going down to his chin, with bangs in front, wearing a pair of knee-length jean shorts, a black T-shirt, and tennis shoes. Hanging from his left ear was an earring in the shape of a wolf's head, much like the skull earring Lance had in his own left ear. The most noticeable thing about him was that he was utterly soaked. This was Lance's younger brother; Cedric Wright, 'Devil's Emissary'.

"Cedric." Lance said, as he crouched down so he could see eye-to-eye with the younger boy. "You've been outside all this time? You could have given me a call, you know."

"Sorry, Lance." Cedric said, as he rubbed the back of his head, a smile on his face. "I was out taking a walk, and the rain caught me by surprise, so I took shelter somewhere else."

"Well, at least you're safe." Lance sighed, as he rubbed Cedric's head. "Now get yourself dried up; you're gonna catch a cold, you know."

"Actually, I wanted to tell you something, Lance." Cedric said, as he pointed towards the window. "On my way back, I happened to notice five people headed towards the hotel; members of the Cross Skull Pirates, their captain included."

Hearing that, Lance stood up, as he glanced outside. While he couldn't see anybody, he trusted Cedric's word. "The Demon's Orthopedic comes to visit…" he muttered, before he looked down at Cedric. "Did you see who the other four were?"

"Yeah." Cedric replied. "They were the Water Lord, the Ocean's Maiden, the Bane of the Mountains, and the Biomechanic Man." After saying those names, he tilted his head. "So, why are they coming here? Something to do with Nikolai?"

"Likely." Lance shrugged, before he looked back out the window. "But I'd rather not have any commotion inside here, especially with two people hospitalized, and in our hands. Maybe we could…"

As he spoke, he began thinking again, closing his eyes. _…but would letting any one of them meeting Nikolai be such a good idea? _he thought, drumming his finger against the windowsill. _It's not like I can just tell Nikolai to leave Chris alone… and when the full moon, he's going to have his head…_

Seeing her captain so deep in thought, Collette looked cautiously at him. "Lance?" she asked.

"…I'd hate for any of them to be killed by Nikolai." Lance finally said, as he opened his eyes. "When they arrive, we have to keep them and Nikolai separated. Collette, do you think you can keep them at bay, along with Amaya?"

"What about me, Lance?" Cedric asked, which made his brother turn to look at him. "If you need help, I'll be glad to lend a hand."

"Well, as long as you promise not to get involved if it ends up becoming a brawl, then I suppose you can." Lance replied, before he turned to Collette. "You'd best go to your room and suit up; I'll take care of the antidote."

"…alright." Collette replied with a nod, as she handed the syringe to Lance, before she turned and left. "Cedric, come along, now." she added, as Cedric ran after her.

"…it's beginning." Lance muttered when he was by himself, as he glanced outside one more time, before he began walking through the halls. "Before things get rough, I think I should tell Amaya about the Cross Skulls…" As he walked through the halls, he eventually reached a flight of stairs, though something that caught his attention was a half-open door. "Hmm?" Out of curiosity, he peeked inside, only to be met with a gruesome sight.

Inside of the room, sitting against the wall and breathing heavily, was Chris Hopkins, who was a complete, bloody mess. On top of that, both metallic green and neon yellow liquid were slowly secreting out of her wounds. With a look of concern, Lance opened the door, which made Chris weakly look up at him. "…you're…" she uttered, before she coughed.

"Lance, in case you've forgotten." Lance replied, as he looked at the wounds on her body, before glancing towards a cupboard, and an open drawer there. "This might be a stupid question, but how are you doing?" he asked, as he walked towards the drawer.

"…been better…" Chris replied, as she winced lightly, whilst looking at Lance. "…what are you…"

"I'm looking for an antidote." Lance replied, before pulling out yet another syringe, but this one had a white liquid within it. "Nope, wrong one…" he shrugged, as he placed that syringe on the cupboard, before looking through the drawer again. "I'll bet that he's pumped you full of the Paralysis Venom…" he muttered, before he pulled out a syringe with green liquid in it. "Here we go."

As he walked towards Chris, he noticed that she winced with every step he took. "Oh boy… he pumped you with the Hypersensitivity Venom as well?" he sighed, as he carefully placed the syringe against Chris' arm, but that made her actually yell in pain. "Relax; this should let you move, at the very least." he said, before injecting the antidote into Chris, looking at her pained face as he did so.

"Why… why are you…" Chris uttered, as she weakly glanced at Lance. "…helping… me?"

"Believe it or not, but Nikolai's the only one who likes this sort of thing." Lance replied, before he stood up, looking down at Chris. "…with that much Hypersensitivity Venom in you, it'll be hard for you to even move a muscle for a few hours. And with the full moon coming, and everything…"

"Hey…" Chris uttered, as she glanced at the other syringe on the cupboard. "…what antidote… is that?"

"Ah, that's for the Lethal Venom." Lance noted, as he began walking out the door. "It only comes out during the full moon, and… well, unless your crew can get you out of here, I'd say that he's going to kill you with that venom. But don't worry; I'll see if I can't persuade him otherwise." As he said this, he left the room, closing the door behind him.

With a sigh, Lance glanced up the stairs, before he began climbing them. After a while, he reached a door which led outside, where he could see both Amaya and a black-haired swordsman glaring at each other. The swordsman was known as Nikolai Iman, 'Black Widow'.

"Why did you have to go overboard like that?!" Amaya yelled, as she had her arms folded. "This is a serious problem; you keep killing people who's got no business with us!"

"Too bad for them." Nikolai muttered, as he weighed his black sword in his hand. "I couldn't care less about what you think of my methods, Amaya." he added.

"Tsch- tough words, for a guy who only knows how to swing a big, sharp stick around!" Amaya retorted, but this made Nikolai only scoff.

"As if your guns are a more efficient way of killing someone." he replied. "They lack finesse, and aren't fit for someone born to fight."

"Hey!" Hearing their captain call for them, Amaya and Nikolai stopped their little quarrel. "I hate to break up the talk, but Cedric and Collette are in need of help, Amaya! We're getting visitors any minute now!"

"Visitors?" Amaya inquired, as she turned away from Nikolai. "Of what kind?"

"Of the kind that'll be here soon!" Lance replied, before pointing back towards the door he had emerged from. "Cedric will fill you in on the details, so hurry up!" With a nod, Amaya ran past Lance, leaving only him and Nikolai on the rain-soaked roof. "…so, Nikolai, how are things?"

"Don't play dumb, captain." Nikolai said in a cold tone, as he began swinging his blade. "You've told the Cross Skull Pirates about Hopkins, and now they're coming to get her back." As he kept swinging at the air, Nikolai glanced at Lance. "Now I suppose that you'll attempt to persuade me not to kill him, right?"

"Well, I would prefer it if you didn't." Lance said, as he folded his arms, the glint in his eyes fading away. "Though, with the show you've put him through, that would be an act of mercy at this point. What kind of beef would cause you to do that to him, anyway?"

"He stole my treasure." Nikolai retorted. "If it hadn't been for that dagger, I likely would never have obtained Tsukumo, or joined your crew." Then, he stopped swinging his sword, before turning to face Lance. "Tell me something, Lance; if someone had killed Cedric, would you have allowed the murderer to live?"

That question threw Lance off, as he backed a bit away from Nikolai. "…no, I wouldn't." he replied, before shaking his head. "But this is different! You could just as easily have gotten a different type of dagger as the one Chris nabbed; Cedric is my younger brother! You are blowing this out of proportion, Nikolai!"

"That's a first." Nikolai scoffed, as he looked away from Lance. "Until tonight, you've had no problem with me attempting to hunt down Hopkins. Why the sudden change in character?"

Before Lance could think of an answer, a thunderclap could be heard in the distance, though as it lit up, it allowed Lance and Nikolai to see something from the south, headed their way. Upon further inspection, it turned out that it was five people, all of them part of the Cross Skull Pirates.

On the far left was a fishwoman, clad in a purple maid outfit, and swinging an ivory three-sectioned staff around; Maria. To her right was a tall man, ranging to seven feet, who cracked his knuckles menacingly; Omega. On the far right was a male with orange sunglasses, with the right of the lenses missing, who wielded a brown sword; Ryozo. To his left was another male who had his arms outstretched, somehow making sure that the rain wasn't hitting any of the pirates; Jin.

The middle one was Zugai, and he was the one who looked the most out of place. All over his body, what seemed to be an ivory suit of plate armor covered it; his arms, legs, chest and head were protected by an armor of bone. The chest plate seemed to be made by forging at least two rib cages together, and apparently, to create the arm and leg armor, both arm and leg bones had been hollowed and forged together to allow him to wear them. What looked the most peculiar was the helm; it seemed like two skulls had been split in two vertically, the right and left halves combined to increase the size, and then forged together again to fulfill the design. And of course, hefted over his shoulder was his trademark labrys, Honehakaisha.

As the five pirates silently approached the hotel, Lance glanced down towards the entrance, which let him see that Cedric, Amaya and Collette were exiting the hotel, walking out to meet the pirates. With a sigh, he glanced at Nikolai. "Stay in line; we'll continue the discussion later." he said, before he leapt down from the roof, somehow safely landing on his feet right next to his other crewmembers, before looking ahead at the incoming pirates. _My apologies, Demon's Orthopedic… _he thought, as he cracked his neck. _…but I can't let you pass._

* * *

**A/N: **This came out later than expected, but it did come earlier than the last one! Right, there's going to be a climactic battle soon, so everyone strap in for chapter 71; Cross Skull Pirates against Blue Lightning Pirates!

**YolkaEd**


	71. Blue Lightning's Thunderclap part 3

The pain coursing through her body was nearly unbearable. In spite of that, she held it in, as she weakly stumbled away from the cupboard Lance had found the paralysis antidote in. _If he hadn't pumped me with that Hypersensitivity stuff…_ she thought, as she winced for every single step she took. _…I could have gotten out of here._

Hissing in pain, Chris eventually sank down to where she had been sitting earlier, breathing heavily, trying to take her mind off the pain. _Ugh… I really wish someone would have an antidote for this other stuff… I can barely move…_

As she thought, she managed to move her hand towards her chest, checking her heartbeat, which was actually quite furious. _Doing anything hurts like hell… I-_ At that moment, she suddenly began coughing up blood, and both the act and the sound felt like she was being hammered by someone.

_Shit… all because of Nikolai… _she thought, before she looked up at the ceiling. _…guys… please get me out of here…_

Just as she thought that, the door out of the room slowly opened, letting Chris see the black-haired swordsman standing right in the opening. "Chris… it's time." Nikolai said in an ominous tone, a wicked grin on his face.

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Blue Lightning's Thunderclap part 2**

**Skull's and Lightning's Clash!**

* * *

The rain was pouring down like there would be no other days after this one, as the two pirate groups stared each other down; the Cross Skull Pirates, with Zugai, Omega, Maria, Jin and Ryozo ready for battle, and the Blue Lightning Pirates, with Lance, Cedric, Amaya and Collette stoically observing these five pirates.

"You're the Blue Lightning Pirates, huh?" Zugai eventually said, as he lifted Honehakaisha off his shoulders, placing the blade against the dry ground where he and the other four stood; Jin was making sure that the rain went nowhere near them. "I take it that you guys took our crewmates?"

"Let's get one thing clear here." Lance began, as he folded his arms, looking at Zugai. "We didn't take anyone. Just because one of our crewmates decided to take your friends, doesn't make all of us the culprits."

"B-but where are they?" Maria uttered, as she clenched her fists, the grip on her three-sectioned staff tightening. "A-are they safe?"

"Two of them are recovering in our infirmary." Collette said, as she looked at the five of them. "The Magic Swordsman, and the Explosive Archer. Both of them are going to be alright, so none of you worry about them."

"But what about Chris?" Omega said, as he began cracking his neck. "She's alright, isn't she?"

Hearing that, all of the Blue Lightning Pirates blinked. "…she?" Cedric uttered, as he scratched his head. "But… isn't Hopkins a boy?"

"Trust me, it surprised us when we heard it as well." Jin shrugged, before he folded his arms. "But enough babble; is Chris alright or not?"

"…if I may be blunt, then I'd say that she's been guaranteed a one-way ticket to hell." Amaya said, which made the Cross Skull Pirates look at her in disbelief. "There is a reason why there's only four of us here, instead of all five of us… our swordsman, Nikolai, was the one who took her, and he's going to kill her when the moon comes down on us."

"So you're here to stall us?!" Ryozo suddenly snapped, as he pointed the brown sword at the Blue Lightning Pirates. "Why the hell would you do something like that?!"

"Hey, no need to jump to conclusions." Lance said, as he waggled a finger at Ryozo, before he looked at Zugai. "We never intended to come here to stall you from helping your friend… but trust me when I say that we can't let you see Nikolai. I don't doubt your abilities, given your bounties and all, but Nikolai is on a whole different league than you are used to."

"…is that right?" Zugai said, as he lifted Honehakaisha up from the ground, before making sure that the ivory helm he still wore fit him nicely. "But if he's not here, where would we be able to find him?"

"Well, last time I checked, he was on the roof." Lance said, as he pointed towards the hotel. "It could be that he's going downstairs soon, but-" Before he could even finish that sentence, a gust of wind passed right by the Blue Lightning Pirates, and when Lance looked back at the Cross Skull Pirates, Zugai was gone. "Eh?"

"H-he ran past you." Maria uttered, as she began swinging the staff around, keeping her eyes on the group. "Into the hotel."

At that point, all of the Blue Lightning Pirates did a double-take, with Lance having quite the expression on his face. "Wha-wha-wha-wha-what did you just say?!" he uttered in sheer shock.

"By using his powers to lighten the bones in his body, Zugai must have gotten quick enough to run past you without being spotted." Omega said, just as he slammed his hands together. "We are sorry, but we cannot allow any of our crewmembers to be killed, under any circumstances."

"Oh, we'll see about that!" Cedric said, just as he turned around, before he began running towards the hotel. "I'll stop him before he can get too far!"

However, suddenly appearing in his way was Maria, who kept swinging Honetsukon around, looking down at Cedric. "M-my apologies, b-but I can't let you g-get past me!" she said, swinging the staff in such a way that Cedric surely couldn't get by her.

"H-hey!" Lance uttered when he saw this. "I'm not gonna let you get off that easily if you harm my little brother!" he said, just as he pulled a knife out from his pocket, though before he could move, Omega rushed towards him, and threw a punch aimed squarely at Lance's gut, sending the captain skidding several feet back. "Kkh… you got me good, there." he muttered, as he wiped some blood off the edge of his mouth.

"Zugai is counting on us to make sure that you don't interfere." Omega said, just as his left hand turned into a rocket launcher, which he aimed at Lance. "He is going to save Chris, and he is going to defeat Nikolai Iman."

"As much as I'd like to see Nikolai's ego get beaten down a bit, I can't let you do that!" Amaya suddenly said, as she drew one of her revolvers, which she aimed right at Omega, but before she could pull the trigger, Jin suddenly rocketed into her with torrents of water coming from his feet, grabbing her and carrying her right over the buildings, out of town.

"Amaya!" Seeing her friend being pulled away from the battle site like that, Collette quickly pulled her fan from her waist, when she noticed Ryozo motioning for her to go right at him. "Tsch… Lance, these guys really want a fight. Should we give it to them?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Collette." Lance said in an eerily calm tone, as he looked at the knife he held, before glancing at Omega, who stood completely still. "But don't kill them; just incapacitate them, so we can hurry up after the Demon's Orthopedic. And for goodness sake, don't get yourself hurt!" As he said that, Maria, Cedric, Collette and Ryozo vanished, rushing towards a different battlefield.

"So, it'll be only you and me?" Omega uttered, as he allowed his rocket launcher hand to morph into a normal hand again.

"No…" Lance mused, as he casually pricked his finger on his knife, letting some blood drip to the ground. "…it'll only be me."

* * *

With one sudden splash, both Jin and Amaya found themselves by a shore, which was near a large Brigantine, built out of black-stained Dark Rosewood, with a roaring tiger's head as the figurehead; a major contrast to the ivory color of the Cross Skull Pirates own ship. "Kkh… what's the big idea, water-boy?" Amaya spat, as she got on her feet, looking at a newly-reformed Jin.

"I couldn't have you shooting at my crewmates, could I?" Jin said, as he cracked his neck. "Now, let's get down to business; we fight, you fall, and my crew saves Chris."

"Tsch… pretty cocky, aren't you?" Amaya muttered, as she began whirling her revolvers in her fingers. "Alright, then; let me show you why I'm known as Eagle Eye, Water Lord!" Then, before Jin could react, she quickly unloaded her arsenal at him, each of the revolvers bullets piercing through Jin's body.

However, she didn't hit anything vital. Thanks to Jin's powers, what was supposed to be blood turned out to be nothing but water seeping out from the bullet holes she shot in him. "Guns won't work on me, miss." Jin noted, as he formed a sphere in his right palm. "It doesn't matter how great a shot you are, if the shots can't hurt me! Mizu Mizu no Bullet!" Without letting Amaya react, he hurled the sphere right at her.

"Soru!" However, the moment the sphere would have made contact with her, she vanished, leaving it to crash into the ship anchored by the shore instead. "Just because you're a Logia, doesn't mean that I can't get you!" she said, as all of a sudden, she reappeared right in front of Jin, her shotgun placed directly against his abdomen. Then, she pulled the trigger, literally blowing Jin's gut out of his body.

Of course, that was nothing but another chunk of water, as the damage Amaya had done was slowly rendered moot by Jin simply reforming what parts had been blown apart. Before she could move away, however, Jin grabbed hold of her, before letting loose torrents of water from his feet, taking both of them up in the air. Then, he lifted Amaya right over her, aiming for a throw down at the ship. "Mizu Mizu no Bungee!"

As he said that, Jin hurled Amaya at the ship, but he didn't let go of her; rather, he turned his arms into water, which rocketed down towards the ship, whilst still holding a good grip on Amaya. The result was that she was furiously slammed right on the deck, leaving crack where she had made her impact.

"Kkh…" If anyone normal had suffered an impact like that, they'd most likely be knocked out. However, Amaya was still conscious, as she weakly got to her feet, glaring up at Jin, who had folded his arms, looking down at Amaya with a smirk. "…heh… you're not too bad." she said, before glancing to her left. "But you made a poor choice of where to throw me. Onboard the Apocalyptic Thunder, there is no safe spot from me!" Then, she suddenly vanished.

"Shit! I forgot she could do that!" Jin cursed, as he snapped his fingers, before looking around the deck, hoping to see even the slightest clue of Amaya's current location. "Damn it… where could she be?"

His answer came in the form of what sounded like a cannon firing. Blinking, he narrowly managed to avoid a cannonball fired right at him, before noting where it had come from; the ship. "No way… she's below deck?"

"Quick on the eye, I see!" he heard Amaya laugh, just as the cannons began firing at Jin in spades, nearly covering the rainy night sky with several cannonballs, all of them meant to strike Jin. However, surprisingly enough, Jin was quick enough to fly past every single cannonball, without letting one get close to him. "And quick on your feet, too! Lance would have loved for you to be part of the crew, you know!"

"Sorry, but I'm already with one captain, thank you very much!" Jin replied, as he flew towards the figurehead, trying to see if Amaya was going to appear somewhere near that spot. "Now, would you show your face and fight me properly?" he said, as he flew in front of the figurehead, still looking around.

"Hmm… nope, can't do that!" Amaya said, just as Jin heard a humming noise, though he couldn't exactly discern a location this sound could come from. "Now, taste the true fury of the Apocalyptic Thunder's Tiger Cannon Mark 4.0!"

"…what kind of name is that?" Jin uttered, as he shook his head. "Sheesh, what kind of idiot names a weapon tiger…" As he said that, something dawned on him, as he looked towards the figurehead, and at that point, he heard the humming intensify. "…cannon…"

A split second after that, and a massive laser exited the tiger's mouth, nearly engulfing Jin, had he not moved out of its way, though the laser did manage to tear off one of his legs. "Aagh! Who the hell has a cannon like that in the figurehead of a ship?!" he yelled, as he allowed his leg to reform.

"Like it? Lance designed it with the legendary Thousand Sunny in mind, you know." Amaya's voice said, before she giggled. "We bought a heavy cannon, but later, I had it modified into shooting not only lasers, but cannon shells as well!"

"Cannon shells?" Jin uttered, as he rubbed his chin. "…like shotgun shells? You place several cannonballs into a canister and shoot?"

"Yeah, that's right! It's really powerful!" Amaya replied, as it became apparent that she was forgetting about the fight, instead shifting subject matters into heavy weaponry. "Actually, it's called Mark 4.0 because after adding the shells to the equation, Lance figured that it'd be more practical to fit it into the figurehead. Nifty, right?"

"Y-yeah, I guess…" Jin uttered, as he flew above the ship, scanning it for any signs of Amaya. "But anyway, when are you gonna come out and fight?"

"…how about now?" As those words were said, the sound of a rifle being fired was heard, and Jin felt something pass right through his body; more specifically, his nether regions. Though he didn't feel any pain, thanks to his powers, as he looked down at his body, there was a noticeable hole where his pelvic area was, with water pouring out of the hole. "Aaw, did the rookie wet himself?"

Hearing Amaya say that, Jin looked down at the main deck, where she saw Amaya having burst into laughter, whilst now holding a sniper rifle. "…oh, you want to play like that, huh?" he growled, as he reeled his fist back. "Mizu Mizu no Pistol!" he yelled, before punching the air, sending a jet of water rocketing down at Amaya, but before it could connect, she vanished.

Then, she suddenly reappeared again, this time on the crow's nest, where Jin suddenly noticed that a large machine gun was mounted. Laughing, Amaya took hold of the weapon, before turning it to aim up at Jin. "Oh yeah, baby! This little beauty's my pride and joy! It can fire at least five hundred rounds per second, and I happen to have ammunition for tens of thousands of Beri up here! It should be enough to overwhelm even you, a Logia type, Water Lord!"

"…big deal." Jin shrugged, as he stretched his arms out. "I don't need to spend money on ammo." he added, just as he closed his eyes.

"Yeah, tell someone who cares!" Amaya quickly said, just as she released the safety on the machine gun. "Time to put you down!" Then, she began firing at Jin, bullet casings flying just about everywhere, and bullets flying right at Jin.

However, the shots were somehow being repelled by a seemingly invisible force, something that surprised Amaya, but not to the extent of her stopping her barrage. "I don't need to buy ammo… because I'm surrounded by ammo." Jin said, just as Amaya noticed something peculiar; the rain around Jin wasn't falling like it should have been falling, but rather, it fell even harder in Amaya's direction.

"No way…" Amaya uttered, as she kept on firing at Jin. "Don't tell me that he's… He's manipulating the rain drops as bullets?!" As she said that, something suddenly shot into the woodwork next to her, confirming her suspicions. "Crap! I didn't know he could do that!" Out of options, Amaya continued to fire at Jin, with her bullets clashing with Jin's raindrops, creating quite a blitz between them. However, as Amaya was firing, there was one thing she failed to notice; steam flowing from the machine gun, a sign of the weapon overheating.

Sure as rain, the weapon eventually stopped firing, and Amaya's eyes widened, both at the realization that in her current position, she was defenseless, and the fact that she was holding onto a smoking-hot weapon. "YEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOWWW!!!" she cried in pain, as she let go of the machine gun, before falling on her back, her hands burnt. "Kkh…"

Before she could move, however, Jin suddenly flew right down at her, stomping his foot on her chest, pinning her down. "Alright… you fell." Jin noted, as he folded his arms. "We're not getting anywhere; Nikolai's still going to kill Chris, and us two fighting like this isn't helping her at all. So, care to call the battle off?"

"I can't!" Amaya protested. "If I let any of you guys near Nikolai, that bastard's gonna-" Before she could finish her sentence, both of them heard something that sounded like an explosion, and turning to look at the town, they could see someone having been launched into the air. "…what the hell?"

* * *

"Diagonale Verso!" The sound of blades clashing in a different part of town was a clear pointer to stay far away from that place. There, the two doctors of the Cross Skull Pirates and the Blue Lightning Pirates were furiously trading blows, Ryozo with his rock sword, and Collette with her folding fan. As Collette shouted those words, she attempted to slice Ryozo down diagonally, slashing the fan twice at the same spot, though Ryozo managed to block it before it could strike him.

"I think you'll find that I'm tougher than your average pirate! Ishi Ishi no Pillar!" Ryozo said, as he stomped the ground before Collette, just as a pillar shot out from underneath the surface, but Collette suddenly vanished before it could strike her. "Sheesh… since when did pirates learn about Rokushiki? Last time I checked, only members of CP9 knew about it."

"Really? Tell that to Garp's students! Chaine Goutte!" Collette said, just as some form of chain suddenly wrapped around Ryozo's legs, forcing him to topple to the ground. "Now, if you promise to stay down, I'll let you go unscathed from this encounter, Bane of the Mountains." she added, as she approached Ryozo.

"As if I'd let that happen! Ishi Ishi no Pillar!" Ryozo retorted, just as another pillar rocketed towards Collette, but just like the previous attempt, she simply vanished when it seemed like it was going to hit her. "Damn…"

"Say, do you know what my specialty as a doctor is?" Collette said, as she reappeared behind Ryozo, looking down at his body. "Pressure points. If I strike a pressure point in a certain manner, the victim is paralyzed, unable to move."

"Yeah, yeah…" Ryozo muttered, as he pushed himself into a sitting position. "I'm a doctor myself, so I know about pressure points." Then, he cracked his knuckles, before placing his hands against the ground. "But I have my own methods of fighting, and to be frank, it's much blunter than your methods. Ishi Ishi no Warhammer!" Then, he suddenly pulled a warhammer of stone from the ground, looking up at Collette. "So, let's get down to brass tacks."

"Don't get too cocky, now!" Collette said, just as she pulled something out from her dress. "Rempli Gelez!" Then, she suddenly hurled something at Ryozo, striking a spot on his upper right arm. Immediately, that arm fell limp, and Ryozo was forced to let go of the warhammer. "There, your right arm's disabled."

"Tsch… that's a problem." Ryozo muttered, before he cast a glance at the chain around his legs, noting that Collette was still holding onto it. "…look out!" Then, using his left arm, he grabbed hold of the chain, before pulling on it, causing Collette to collapse, just like he had.

Before she could get up, he quickly placed his left hand against the ground. "Ishi Ishi no Prison!" Then, large pillars of rock quickly surrounded Collette, binding together at the top to ensure that the pirate couldn't get out. "Phew…" he muttered, as he wiped his forehead with his left arm.

"Damn it!" Collette muttered from within the prison, as Ryozo untangled the chains around his legs. "If I had my fan in here, I could have broken loose with one of my special techniques… you know, Nikolai isn't like the other Blue Lightning Pirates!"

"Yeah, you already said something along those lines." Ryozo muttered, as he casually dropped the chain to the ground after freeing himself, looking at the prison. "But when Zugai beats him up and frees Chris, KC and Krystal, it's all good, right?"

"You're not getting it." Collette muttered, before she groaned. "Look, if you had been some Marine, or a random bounty hunter Lance had never heard of, chances are that he'd take you out, if only to make you stop following him. And believe me when I say that the moments when Lance decides to kill someone are rare. But Nikolai wouldn't have any qualms about killing anyone on a whim."

"And what does that have to do with-" Ryozo began, when both of them heard something like an explosion. Looking towards the source of the noise, they noticed a column of smoke erupting from the hotel. "…anything?"

* * *

"Kkh…" Pressing herself against a wall, Maria took a moment to catch her breath. Glancing down at her left arm, one could see that it was torn open by what seemed to be claws, but despite that, she still held onto her three-sectioned staff. "Wh-who could have guessed…" she muttered, just as she glanced around a corner, "…that o-one boy could be so… d-dangerous?"

"I wouldn't call me a boy, if I were you." Hearing that voice instinctively made Maria push away from the wall, just as it was torn down by some force. Looking back at the wall, she saw that a large, wolf-like hybrid was walking out of the hole in the wall, cracking his knuckles. "You've got bigger things to worry about."

"Tsch…" Maria gritted her teeth, as she spun Honetsukon around. "I-I'm sorry for this!" she called, just as she swung the staff right at the wolf-hybrid, but unfortunately for her, the hybrid easily caught the attack in his left hand. "Darn…"

"Hmph… you're tougher than the average pirate, I can tell that much." the wolf scoffed, before he pulled on the staff, dragging Maria closer to him. "But me, my brother and our crew… we're even tougher than pirates like you! Wolf Striker!" Then, when Maria was dragged close enough, the hybrid slashed at Maria with his free hand, tearing her maid's uniform open, forcing the fishwoman to let out a yell of pain.

"Kkh… l-let go!" Quickly, Maria aimed a kick at the hand holding Honetsukon, and with the sudden attack, he was forced to let the staff go, which allowed Maria to leap a distance away from it. "Ungh… j-just what Devil Fruit is that?"

"Actually, I'm glad you asked." the hybrid muttered, just as he began changing shape, slowly shrinking, the fur going back into his body, before eventually, Cedric stood where the hybrid had once been. "It's the Inu Inu no Mi, Model: Dire Wolf. As you can imagine, that makes me a bit tougher than other Zoan-users."

"Dire W-Wolf…" Maria muttered, as she placed a hand against where Cedric had slashed her, looking at the young boy. "…f-for some reason, I doubt that." she uttered, as she stumbled. "Y-you see… I've fought a r-real monster before." As she spoke, flashes of her brief confrontation with Morte back on Atsumari Island went by in her mind. "S-so… I should be able to handle you."

"…you're not taking me seriously, are you?" Cedric sighed, before he suddenly turned into his hybrid-form again, growling. "I'll just have to show you how much you're underestimating me! Wolf Tackle!" Then, he suddenly vanished from where he stood, before Maria suddenly felt something ram her gut, and lo and behold, it was Cedric, having rammed his head right into her, sending her propelling right into a building.

"Gah…" Having lost her breath from that attack, Maria fell to her knees, heaving for air. "I… I can't afford to lose…" she coughed, as she suddenly noticed that Cedric was standing right over her. Before she knew it, he quickly grabbed her by the throat, lifting her up.

"You can't afford to lose?" Cedric repeated, before scoffing. "I don't think you're getting it, Ocean's Maiden. You're way out of your league, here. Against the Blue Lightning Pirates, you're all nothing but a bunch of rookies."

Maria blinked, as she weakly tried to look Cedric in the eye. "That's…" she managed to utter. "That's not-"

"True? But if it isn't true, why try to rebuke it through words?" Cedric shot in with a condescending tone, before pulling the fishwoman closer. "The only reason you're fighting against us, is so your captain can have a shot at helping your crewmates. But it's just not gonna work. Nikolai's going to kill Chris, and chances are, he's going to kill your captain as well."

"No…" Maria uttered, as she tried getting out of Cedric's grip. "Z-Zugai wouldn't be-"

"But he hasn't fought against Nikolai, has he?" Cedric shot in again, not even allowing Maria to finish her sentence. "And chances are, Nikolai could very well just end up killing your entire crew, because your captain pissed him off enough to do it. It's bound to be tough, having such a reckless guy for a captain… a rookie captain, well-fitted for a rookie crew."

"…no…" Maria uttered, though as Cedric tightened his grip, she couldn't let out anything else but a cough. Despite being choked like this, however, something was swelling up within her… something she hadn't felt in a while. It felt like… rage.

"I know that my brother told us not to kill you…" Cedric uttered, just as he opened his free hand, just as a lightning bolt illuminated the claws jutting out from that hand. "…but really, for someone who's bound for death's door in the first place, I don't see why I shouldn't just finish you off right here and now. Maybe it'd be best, so you wouldn't have to see Nikolai kill your crewmates… one… by… one."

Those words were enough to trigger what Maria had felt, as she suddenly grabbed hold of Cedric's arm, before aiming a well-placed kick right at his elbow, delivered with enough power that even Cedric's grip was broken, making him let her go. "You… you shut up!!!" she yelled furiously, a look of utter rage on her face. "Zugai won't be killed! None of us will! We're going to take Chris home… AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STOP US!!!"

Before Cedric could even react, Maria suddenly jabbed her hand right into his chest, before she began jabbing numerous spots on his body, with quite an amount of intensity, leaving Cedric no room to even move. Then, as it seemed like she let up her assault, she suddenly began kicking Cedric with her left leg, with even more intensity, actually pushing Cedric backwards.

"You… Strong Kick!" Cedric yelled, as he attempted to deliver a kick onto Maria, but she was quicker, sidestepping the attack, and pushing the leg higher than Cedric had intended, throwing him off balance. Then, before he could regain it, she mercilessly aimed another kick at Cedric, striking his groin. "GAAAH!" With an absurd amount of pain going through his body, Cedric couldn't help but fall to his knees. "Damnit…"

"Senmaigawara…" Maria uttered, as she pulled her fist back, glaring at Cedric. "…SEIKEN!" Then, she delivered a very powerful punch, aimed right at Cedric's abdomen, sending the hybrid propelling away from her, landing squarely on the pavement. "…there." she uttered, before she sank to her knees, still glaring at Cedric. "How do you… like that?"

Cedric was silent, as he slowly changed back into his human form, lying on the ground. "…you're not too bad." he managed to utter, before he began chuckling. "You guys might… actually have a chance… especially if your captain's stronger than you."

Hearing that, Maria suddenly blinked, as if she just realized what she had done. "…oh my…" Seeing Cedric on the ground like that made her panic. "Oh- ohmygosh! I-I'm so sorry, I h-honestly didn't mean to snap like that! D-don't take it personally, b-but… no, wait, what am I saying? I should get you to a doctor, but it's the middle of the night, so where in the world can I find a doctor?!"

Her panicked outburst, however, was suddenly cut off when they heard something that sounded like an explosion not too far from them. Looking towards where the sound had come from, they could clearly see that something had been shot right out of the hotel. "…no way…" Cedric uttered.

* * *

In front of the hotel, Lance and Omega still stared each other down, but each of them was wounded in some way or other. On Omega's body, many traces of blood and torn flesh indicated that he had been seriously slashed by something, whilst Lance was bleeding from both of his palms, but not so much the rest of his body. "What do you think of my ability, Biomechanic Man?" Lance questioned, as he smiled a bit.

"Peculiar, to say the least." Omega uttered, before he rushed at Lance. "But you shouldn't break into conversation during a fight." Then, he threw a punch right at Lance.

"Steel Blood!" Though the punch connected, Lance didn't seem to be too affected by it, as he simply grinned at Omega, who retracted his fist whilst looking curiously at Lance. "Amazed? The Chi Chi no Mi allows me to control my own blood. Like this! Bloody Sabre!" Then, from out of his palm, a thin and sharp blade of blood shot right at Omega, tearing right through his cheek. "But to tell you the truth, I'm more amazed at seeing you. I haven't seen anything that advanced since the Pacifista."

"To tell you the truth, my memories of my creation are vague." Omega replied, before he morphed his right hand into a rocket launcher. "But I do have to admit, it comes in handy quite often." Then, he fired a rocket right at Lance.

"Blood Needle." Before the rocket could reach Lance, however, a sharp, crimson-colored needle jutted up from the ground, impaling the rocket, causing it to explode there and then. "Don't think that I can't control my blood, just because it isn't in my body." Lance chuckled.

"You have quite the ability on your hands, Lance Wright." Omega mused, before he morphed the rocket launcher back into a regular fist. "But you say that you can only control your own blood. Does that mean that you cannot control other people's blood?"

"…actually, I'm not sure." Lance said with a shrug, as he scratched his nose. "Truth be told, I'm not sure if I know everything that I can do with this ability. But… there is that ability, but I doubt that I can use it on you, since you're a cyborg. It's called Marionette."

Hearing that, Omega tilted his head. "…Marionette?"

"I can't really control any other person's _blood, _per se, but imagine this…" Lance began, as he looked at the crimson liquid running down his right palm. "A small flicker of my own blood enters the bloodstream of, say, the Pirate Hunter, Roronoa Zoro. Until his own antibodies destroys what blood I've placed within him… I could control him, like a puppet."

"…that explains the name." Omega muttered, as he was reminded of Seigyoki's ability. "So you could control his every movement?"

"Until his antibodies could eliminate the foreign blood cells, yes." Lance nodded, as he clenched his hand into a fist. "But I could do two other things with him. I could condense his blood, crushing him from within… and I could freeze his blood flow, slowly killing him, due to the lack of blood going to his heart. Quite the thought, isn't it?"

"…I'll say." Omega said with a nod. "So the only way you can control someone's blood, is if your own blood is in their blood?"

"Well, at the moment, yeah." Lance shrugged, as he cracked his knuckles. "I'm still experimenting with my powers, to see if I can do stuff I hadn't thought of until then, and so on… but we're losing focus here. Let's get back to business, shall we?"

Just as he said that, what sounded like an explosion came from the hotel. In shock, both of them glanced back at the building, to see something being launched right out of the roof, up towards the sky. Or rather, some_one._ "…unbelievable." Omega uttered, as he squinted. "That's… no way. He actually…"

Gritting his teeth, Lance suddenly began running towards the hotel, a look of sheer disbelief on his face. _I can't believe it._ he thought. _And here I thought that it'd be over within a minute, if the two clashed… but the Demon's Orthopedic managed to launch Nikolai into the air!_

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, sorry for being late on this one; writer's block again. Man, when that stuff hits, it hits hard. Well, I hope that this chapter makes up for it!

Before I leave you with my name, I got some updates you might be interested in. On my profile, you'll find not only a poll regarding Piracy (with the results being posted in time for chapter 72), but a link leading to my newly-made Formspring account! What's Formspring? It's a website you can ask me just about anything you're wondering about, so go check it out, if you'd like!

So, with that out of the way, just remember to read and review, and I'll try to crank out 72 a bit sooner. Catch you all later!

**YolkaEd**


	72. Blue Lightning's Thunderclap part 4

_I can't believe it._ Running through the halls of the hotel, Lance had a hard time believing what he had seen. _He wasn't in there for that long… maybe five minutes, tops? How the hell could he launch Nikolai up into the sky?!_

As he thought, he happened to pass by the door leading in to where KC and Krystal were recovering, and seeing that, Lance stopped. _…oh, yeah, I forgot to give him the antidote. _he thought, as he took out the syringe Collette had entrusted him with, before cautiously opening the door.

In there, both KC and Krystal were asleep in the same bed, with Krystal's arms being wrapped around KC, and a smile on both of their faces. _…charming._ Lance thought, as he carefully approached KC, before injecting him with the antidote, though he kept quiet about it. Thankfully, KC didn't seem to notice it. _There. Now, to find the Demon's Orthopedic._ he thought, before turning towards the door.

As he was about to exit the room, however, he heard some pained grunts from outside. Quickly opening the door, he noticed Chris limping through the hall, supporting herself on the wall. "Damn… I've got to get up there, and…" she said to herself, before she coughed.

"H-hey, hang on!" Quickly, Lance walked up to her, taking a hold on her arm to stop her from moving, though as she winced, he quickly realized that it wasn't the smartest thing he could have done. "What are you doing, walking around like that? You could end up killing yourself from the strain!"

"Like I care…" Chris coughed, as she looked up at the ceiling. "But… I've got to get to the roof! Zugai and Nikolai are there, and…"

"Just how did he knock Nikolai up there, anyway?" Lance asked, as he glanced up at the ceiling. "I'm surprised that Nikolai hasn't gutted him already… but it's not that I'm in doubt of your captain's skills, but-"

"I can tell you about that later." Chris interrupted, as she began walking again. "But I've got to get up there… as quick as I can-" Before she could say another word, suddenly, Lance scooped her up in his arms. "Wha- hey, what's the big idea?"

"Sorry, miss…" Lance uttered, as he began running down the hall, holding onto Chris. "…but I can't let a lady allow herself to injure herself just to get a place. I'm taking you to the roof."

Hearing him say that, Chris couldn't help but look at him with a surprised look. "You…" she began, before she closed her eyes. "…thanks." Then, she suddenly opened them again. "Wait, _who_ are you calling a lady?!"

* * *

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Blue Lightning's Thunderclap part 4**

**Bone Crusher vs. Steel Spider**

* * *

As he only kept on ascending, Nikolai gritted his teeth in pain, as he glared down at the hotel. _Damn… I haven't felt anything like that in a long while._ he thought, before moving a hand to his head; he could feel a cut across his forehead. _…he hit me _that_ hard?_ As he looked down to see if he could locate his opponent, he began thinking about how on earth he had been attacked like that.

"_Alright, H__opkins, up you go." Nikolai said, as he grabbed hold of Chris' arm, before hoisting her to her feet. He could tell by her expression that barely touching her would cause her to react, which was exactly what she did, by wincing in pain. "We're going up to the roof. I'd love to kill you here and now, but I think that it'd be more satisfying to see you writhe."_

"…_and…?" she managed to utter, as she looked weakly, yet defiantly at Nikolai. "How are you going to make me suffer more… when I'm already pumped full of a serum that makes the slightest touch hurt me?"_

"_Oh, you'll find out soon enough." Nikolai said, as he got ready to turn around, when he stopped himself. Then, he looked back at Chris. "…actually, I would prefer to have my dagger back, before I kill you."_

_Gritting her teeth, Chris continued glaring weakly at the black-haired swordsman. "And why can't you wait until I'm dead… if you're willing to wait to kill me until we get to the roof?" she uttered._

_Frowning, Nikolai suddenly pressed Chris up against the wall, prompting a pained yell from her, before he placed Tsukumo's blade against her neck. "Oh, I could kill you here and now… but I'd prefer to see you die an agonizingly slow death, rather than a merciful, swift death. And that dagger is my treasure, and I want you to realize that before you die."_

"_Well…" Chris began, as she closed her eyes. "…it's mine now, so no luck there, Nikolai." she added, before sticking out her tongue at the swordsman, though that resulted in him pressing the blade closer against her neck. "Kkh…"_

"_Don't get smart with me, Hopkins." __Nikolai practically hissed, as he looked ready to cut her throat there and then. "Or do you want me to kill you right away?"_

"_I'd like you…" Chris began, as she glared at Nikolai. "…to take that sword and ram it where the sun doesn't shine… creep." That was enough to enrage the swordsman, as he violently threw her to the floor, before pointing Tsukumo at her._

"_So in the end, you choose to be defiant…" he muttered, as he raised the sword. "Oh well; I suppose I'll just make your death more gruesome, to compensate the loss of you suffering." However, before he could push the sword into Chris, the sound of the door being ripped from its hinges distracted him, leading him to glance at the doorway. "…hn?"_

_As it turned out, the person in the doorway was wearing a suit of plate armor colored completely white, and in his hands, a massive labrys made out of the same material was held. "…you're Nikolai?" the newcomer asked, which prompted Nikolai to raise Tsukumo in a defensive position._

"_Who's asking?" he said, though before he could get a viable answer, the newcomer vanished. Then, he heard a massive battle cry, as the stranger suddenly appeared right in front of him, and delivered a punch aimed right at the swordsman's skull. The impact was so devastatingly powerful that it actually launched Nikolai off the ground, and right through the ceiling, all the way out of the roof, like a cannonball._

Gritting his teeth, Nikolai's grip on Tsukumo tightened, as he waited for his opponent to show up. However, only when he began descending did he see someone leaping right out of the hole in the building, rocketing right at Nikolai, swinging his labrys at the swordsman. Nikolai was quicker, however, as he raised Tsukumo just before the axe could hit him, resulting in the two weapons colliding.

"…I'll ask you again; who's asking whether or not I'm Nikolai?" he asked, just as he and the armored person landed on the roof, their weapons still grinding against each other.

"The name's Zugai Hibiware!" After saying his name, Zugai suddenly put a lot more pressure behind his side of the power struggle, actually leaving cracks on the ground where Nikolai stood. "You thought you could kill my crewmate… and expect me to let it slide?!"

"…would you be surprised if I said 'yes'?" Nikolai inquired, before he suddenly vanished, letting Zugai stumble forward. "Anyway, I haven't got time to play with you, so die."

However, after the swordsman said that, Zugai suddenly swung Honehakaisha behind him, as its flat side actually struck someone, sending Nikolai crashing right into the wall where the door leading downstairs was. "Too bad; I'm not done with you yet." he said menacingly, as he weighed the labrys on his shoulder. "I'm going to show you what happens to those who harm my crewmates!"

"…a real captain, huh…" Nikolai chuckled, as he stood up, holding his head, where another cut had been created. "…this could be interesting." Then, he pointed Tsukumo right at Zugai. "Now, it's time to see whether or not you're ready for the troubles ahead. And I wouldn't rely on armor; my sword will pierce your heart, no matter what you wear."

"That's enough talk." Zugai said, as he pointed Honehakaisha at Nikolai. "It's time for payback!"

* * *

_As she watched Nikolai rocket right through the ceiling, she glanced at the person who had punched him straight up. Her eyes widened, as she weakly tried getting on her feet. "Z-Zugai…" she muttered._

"…_sorry for being late." Zugai said, as he took hold of Chris, before helping her get on her feet. "You look like a wreck. Nikolai did that to you?"_

"_H-he did…" she muttered, just as she noticed the armor Zugai was wearing. "…what's with the armor?"_

"_Oh, this?" Zugai said, as he looked at the armor himself. "Pretty neat, huh? Ever since we left Tataruramu Island, I've been working on this. I'm just glad that I got it ready early; otherwise, I'd be lacking a lot of defense."_

"_Really…" Chris muttered, as she placed a hand against the wall. "Well… now that we're done, how about we-"_

"_I'm not done yet." Zugai said, as he looked up at the hole. "I've still got to teach Nikolai up there a lesson."_

_Hearing that, Chris quickly looked right at Zugai. "You… you can't be serious!" she said, as she looked at him. "Look, this guy is a beast! He managed to take down KC without taking more than a scratch! And that sword of his is-" Before she could finish the sentence, a jolt of pain surged through her body, and she nearly collapsed, though Zugai was quick to grab her._

"_Listen, Chris… I'll be fine." Zugai said, as he allowed Chris to stand, before he looked back up at the hole. "With this on, my defenses are a lot stronger than before… so I should be alright. You just wait here; I'll take care of him now!" Then, he leapt right through the hole, leaving Chris to look up after him in awe._

"So that's what happened…" At this moment, Lance was running through the halls of the hotel, with Chris in his arms. "That captain of yours really is something else… knocking Nikolai through the roof in one punch, and still wanting a piece of him? I have to admire his tenacity." Then, he looked down at Chris. "But tell me; why was he so confident just because he wore a suit of armor?"

"…I don't know." Chris shrugged, though she had a sneaking suspicion. Ever since they had entered the Grand Line, Zugai had gotten himself some severe beatings against people he had fought against; Morte, Bane, and Seigyoki came to mind. _…so he built that to…_ she thought, as she closed her eyes. _…Zugai… be careful…_

* * *

Sparks were flying out in the rain-heavy storm, as both Zugai and Nikolai traded blows with their weapons; Zugai with Honehakaisha, and Nikolai with Tsukumo. Strangely enough, Zugai was keeping up with Nikolai, despite the former wearing a heavy suit of armor, and Nikolai knowing Soru.

_Tsch… this guy isn't half-bad._ Nikolai thought, as he jabbed the black sword forward, though Zugai swiftly sidestepped the attempted attack, before swinging his labrys at Nikolai. However, the swordsman was quicker, ducking under the swing, before attempting to slash Zugai there and then. _But it's not enough._

As the sword made contact with Zugai's body, however, it completely stopped, unable to even leave a mark on Zugai's armor. _…what?!_ Naturally, Nikolai was surprised; he had been able to cut through a lot of things, but Zugai's armor was just too strong. _Impossible… even against armored enemies, Tsukumo has felled them with ease. How is this guy any different?_

"Don't lose focus!" Before Nikolai could even react, Zugai delivered a swift, yet powerful punch right in the swordsman's face, causing him to fly right off the ground, into a wall. Then, he began spinning the massive labrys around, as he rushed right at Nikolai. "Bone Cleaver!" Then, he slammed the labrys right into the ground, intending to cut down Nikolai, though all he hit was the ground where Nikolai had previously been sitting.

At that point, Zugai spun around and blocked an attempted stab from Nikolai, before he suddenly swung Honehakaisha right at Nikolai again. This time, the swordsman leapt over the axe's blade, though Zugai only lifted Honehakaisha over his head in response to that. "Gotcha!" he yelled, as he swung the axe down.

However, Nikolai slashed Tsukumo against Honehakaisha, managing to repel the powerful blow, though the strength behind Zugai's slash forced Nikolai right back on the ground. _…he's got power, that's for sure. _Nikolai thought, as he vanished into thin air, leaving Zugai to see if he could trace the swordsman.

At that moment, however, Nikolai appeared right behind Zugai, holding Tsukumo ready for a slash. However, Zugai noticed this, and promptly spun around and threw his fist forward, but Nikolai disappeared before the punch could connect. Then, Nikolai suddenly reappeared behind Zugai, before he swung Tsukumo, aiming a slash at Zugai's back. But surprisingly, once the sword got in contact with Zugai's armor, it stopped completely, leaving nothing that could be considered a major wound in it.

…_and his defenses are impeccable._ Before Zugai could spin around this time, Nikolai vanished and reappeared right in front of Zugai, slashing Tsukumo at him with incredible speed repeatedly. However, Zugai managed to counter this strategy, slashing Honehakaisha at Nikolai just as quickly, leaving the two weapons to collide with each other countless times, which left no wound in either combatant. _And despite the heavy load he carries, he's got impressive speed._

At that point, Nikolai suddenly leapt back, giving him some distance between him and Zugai. "…you've eaten a Devil Fruit, haven't you?" Nikolai asked, as Zugai gave a brief nod.

"The Hone Hone no Mi." Zugai said, as he hung Honehakaisha over his shoulder. "It allows me to strengthen bones, or lighten them. And since Honehakaisha and this armor are made of bones," he said, clapping the armor to emphasize his point, "I can strengthen them to either increase my defensive and offensive capabilities, or lighten them to make them easier to move with."

"…so you fight like that, huh." Nikolai mused, as he glanced at Tsukumo, before smirking. "Then, would you like me to fight with my sword's full capabilities?"

Zugai raised an eyebrow at this, as he held Honehakaisha at the ready again. "…what sort of capabilities?"

"You'll see." As Nikolai said that, a neon-yellow liquid filled the canal in the blade, before he rushed at Zugai again. Before Zugai could move, Nikolai managed to perform a quick slash across Zugai's face, leaving a cut in his cheek.

At that point, Zugai's eyes widened, as a painful sensation came over him. _Wha… what's going on?_ he thought, as he gritted his teeth, an action which also caused him pain. _Suddenly… for some reason, just wearing this armor hurts! What did he do?_

"That's the Hypersensitivity Venom." Nikolai said, as the liquid slowly faded away from the sword. "Once it's in a human's body, every sense in their body becomes a lot more sensitive. Any sound will be enough to pierce your eardrums, and even the slightest touch feels like sheer torture." Then, he chuckled. "In essence, it's a masochist's dream come true."

Gritting his teeth, Zugai stumbled forward, as he tightened his grip on Honehakaisha, suppressing the pain. "…who said that I wanted to hear about your fetishes?" he said, as he glared at Nikolai, who was visible annoyed by that remark. "Don't tell me that you're not even going to fight me?"

"…you little…" Nikolai uttered, as he stepped forward, when he suddenly stopped himself, pressing his fingers against his forehead. _No… that's what he _wants _me to do. _he thought, before glaring at Zugai, who was actually smirking now, despite the pain coursing through his body. _All I need to do is to stay on the defensive, and eventually…_

"Alright, let's go again!" Then, Zugai suddenly rushed at Nikolai, swinging the labrys downwards, though Nikolai side-stepped it before it could hit him. Then, Zugai began spinning Honehakaisha in his hands with ease, before attempting to slash Nikolai with the stronger attack. "Bone Splitter!"

However, Nikolai simply raised Tsukumo to block the attack from hitting him, though it resulted in him being pushed a bit back. But as he could tell from Zugai's expression, every time Honehakaisha struck something, he felt the impact of the blow all over his body. _And despite that, he still fights on… he's a tough one, I'll give him that._

Before Nikolai could move, Zugai rushed at him again, swinging Honehakaisha wildly at the swordsman, gritting his teeth as to not cry out in pain. _Power, speed, defense, dexterity… he has everything down. But…_ Just as Zugai swung the labrys down at Nikolai, he suddenly raised Tsukumo over his head, blocking the massive axe. _…he has one glaring flaw, and I can exploit that._

"Aren't you going to fight back?!" Zugai yelled, as he swung Honehakaisha horizontally at Nikolai, though now the swordsman leapt over the incoming slash, before landing behind Zugai. Almost immediately, Zugai spun around and attempted to cut down Nikolai where he stood, but the swordsman merely side-stepped that attack as well. "Stand still, already!"

"Why should I? So you can get in a cheap shot?" Nikolai chuckled, as a light blue liquid filled the canal of the blade. "Now, let's see what hallucinations you will suffer." Then, he suddenly swiped the black sword at Zugai, aiming the blow right at Zugai's cheek, just as he had done with his previous strike.

The moment the blade made contact with Zugai, he stepped away, holding his wound, as he glared at Nikolai. However, he didn't see Nikolai, but more or less a blur of grey and black. "…what's this?" he uttered, as he stumbled.

"The Hallucinogenic Venom." Nikolai responded, as he chuckled. "To put it simply, the victim starts hallucinating." Then, he shrugged, before pointing the blade at Zugai. "Though what the respective foe sees, I can never predict. It depends on the victim."

"…really." Zugai muttered, as he glared at Nikolai, though now, Zugai didn't perceive Nikolai as that black-haired swordsman, but a bounty hunter; Morte del Astuto. "…but even if I think you're someone else…" At that point, he rushed right at Nikolai, swinging Honehakaisha at him. "…since we're the only ones here, you're still Nikolai!"

At that point, Nikolai blocked the strike from Honehakaisha with Tsukumo, though now, Zugai put even more force behind that swing, sending Nikolai skidding several feet away. _…I just need to wear him down, and his weakness will let me do him in… _he thought, as he motioned for Zugai to come at him. _The Hypersensitivity Venom must have worn off by now… but the moon will soon reveal my strongest poison._

"Zugai!" Hearing that voice, both Zugai and Nikolai glanced towards the doorway, where both Lance and Chris stood, Chris having called for Zugai. "You… you're alright?"

"…that's you, Chris?" Zugai called, as he tilted his head, as the venom caused him to see Seigyoki and Bane instead of Lance and Chris. "…I sure hope so. This venom isn't making things easy to make out."

"Don't lose focus." Suddenly, Nikolai rushed at Zugai, slashing Tsukumo at him, though Zugai managed to block the attack with his armor. "Hmph… there's one thing that you're lacking, and without it, you're doomed." Then, he raised Tsukumo, ready to slash at Zugai again.

"And what's that?!" Before Nikolai could deliver that blow, Zugai suddenly punched him in the gut, pushing the swordsman back, before running at him with Honehakaisha, swinging wildly at Nikolai, despite the swordsman evading every slash. "Bone Cleaver!" Then, spinning the labrys around, Zugai slammed it furiously into where Nikolai stood, though he managed to miss the swordsman.

"…control." Then, before Zugai could move, Nikolai suddenly slashed Tsukumo upwards, knocking Honehakaisha up in the air, with Zugai's grip still on it. "You slash around, hoping to score a hit… without keeping a focused stance in mind." Then, Nikolai suddenly slashed the black sword right at the massive labrys, actually knocking it out of Zugai's hands, sending it flying right over the edge of the roof.

"Shit!" Zugai exclaimed, as he glanced back at where Nikolai had sent his axe flying. "You…" Then, Zugai suddenly aimed a punch at Nikolai, but the swordsman caught it with ease, though it didn't stop Zugai from throwing a second one, this time striking Nikolai in the gut, with enough force to send the swordsman crashing into the ground.

"…what's wrong? Did losing your weapon make you angry?" Nikolai chuckled, as he stood up from where he had been knocked down, wiping blood away from his lips. "Another flaw… you act on impulse, it seems. That, combined with your lack of control, is your main fault… and without your axe, you're at a disadvantage." Then, he suddenly rushed at Zugai again, slashing Tsukumo at him.

However, Zugai actually grabbed the black sword with his hands, stopping it from moving. "Who said that I was at a disadvantage?" he said, before aiming a kick at Nikolai's knees, though the swordsman leapt over it, before freeing Tsukumo from Zugai's grip.

"You might not admit it, but you are." Nikolai mused, just as the spider hand guard of the sword began stirring. "And soon, you will be dead." Then, the spider actually leapt off the hand guard, planting itself on Zugai's face, before biting down. Immediately, Zugai fell to his knees, unable to move. Then, the spider quickly leapt back on the hand guard, as Nikolai laughed. "The Spider Hand Guard… it can come to life, and inject you with a type of venom that knocks out every nerve in your body, effectively paralyzing you. Though it isn't as potent as my Paralysis Venom, it'll do the job." Then, he raised Tsukumo up at the sky.

"That stance…" Lance muttered, as he clenched his fists. "Shit! He's really going to do it!"

Blinking, Chris glanced at Lance. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Remember that venom I said he was going to kill you with?" Lance said, as he clenched his hands, glaring at Nikolai. "…he's letting the spider absorb the moonlight, to create that venom… the Lethal Venom."

"Lethal… Venom?" Chris asked, as she glanced at Nikolai as well. "…how does that work?"

"I'll tell you, Hopkins." Nikolai chuckled, as a new liquid began filling the canal of the sword; a liquid with the same silver gleam as the moon. "Anyone who is injected with this venom, will die a slow, painful death, if only a bit of it is injected into a person's body." Then, he looked down at Zugai, who could barely manage to look up at Nikolai. "However… what do you suppose would happen, if the victim is pumped full of the stuff?"

At that point, it dawned on Chris just what Nikolai was planning. "…no… no, you wouldn't!" she yelled.

"Oh, I would." he chuckled, as he glared at Chris. "Unless you want me to test it on you, first?" he added, before turning away from Zugai.

"Hey…" Zugai uttered, as his eyes followed Nikolai. "…weren't you fighting me just now?" he said with a smirk. _…tsch… I can't harden my bones in this state… but I won't let him harm Chris…_ he thought.

"…willing to die, to save his crew…" Nikolai uttered, as he turned towards Zugai, before aiming Tsukumo for a thrust. "…you're pretty brave, too. But being brave won't guarantee you a victory."

Seeing this, Chris was absolutely horrified. "No… please, no…" she muttered, as she tried moving forward, but the venom in her body prevented her from moving far without stumbling, though Lance was quick to catch her. "No… stop it… STOP IT, YOU BASTARD!"

"Shouting won't save him." Nikolai chuckled, as he gripped the hilt with both of his hands. "So, Demon's Orthopedic… any last words?"

"…how about these…" Zugai muttered, as he looked at Nikolai, smirking. "…go… fuck… yourself." he said, something that shocked both Chris and Lance.

It was also enough, however, to absolutely infuriate Nikolai, though it didn't show. Then, without warning, he pushed the blade forward, instantly piercing Zugai's body, leaving Zugai with a stunned and pained look, Nikolai with a satisfied smirk, Lance with a shocked look, and Chris with an absolutely horrified expression. Then, she screamed, loud enough for anyone near the site of battle to hear it. "ZUUUUUGAAAAAAIIIII!"

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, that just happened.

So, in other news, I'll hold off on revealing the results of the poll just yet; I mean, only five voters won't cut it! So go check out that and the Formspring account on my profile, and I'll see you for the finale of this arc!

**YolkaEd**


	73. Blue Lightning's Thunderclap part 5

The rain was growing in intensity, as the Cross Skull Pirates who stayed behind on the Howling Moon anxiously waited for their crewmates to return from their rescue operation. At the moment, Nampu stood out in the rain, hands on the railing, as he looked at the town with a frown. _C'mon, Zugai, make it back…_

"You'll catch a cold, if you stay out here." he heard Shin say, as she walked out to him whilst wearing a raincoat. "You should get inside; I made some soup."

"…I'll pass." Nampu shrugged, as he kept looking into town. "…you think the others are doing alright?" he said, as he glanced back at Shin.

"How should I know? I can't see the future." Shin said with a mild laugh, before she looked at the town as well. "But come on. It's the strongest fighters this crew has to offer… well, that haven't been kidnapped, at least. I don't think they'll have too much trouble."

"…somehow, I doubt that." Nampu responded, as he closed his eyes. "I don't know; I guess I'm still shaken up over how that Nikolai managed to beat KC so easily. Maybe it was because of his sword; that thing freaked me out."

"…well, don't catch a cold." Shin said, as she patted Nampu's shoulder encouragingly. "If you're hungry for some soup, you know where to go." she said with a smile, before she walked away from Nampu, towards the kitchen.

Once she entered the kitchen, she got looks from Craigmirra, Yu and Haze, who all looked pretty down-beat, as they were sitting around the kitchen table, with plates of soup in front of them. "He's still not coming in?" Yu asked, as Shin removed her raincoat.

"No; he's still pretty adamant about waiting." Shin replied, before she took a seat by the table, before sighing. "Goddamn… I wish there was something we could do."

"Well, we could have done something, if Zugai didn't insist on us staying here!" Craigmirra said, as she clenched her hands into fists. "I could have gone BAM, and then I'd have gone POW, and then they would be OOF, and then I'd go SMACK, and then we'd get the others out of there!" she said, as she accentuated her words with a punch for each of them.

"Well, he is looking out for us." Yu noted, as she closed her eyes. "I don't think he'd be very happy, if any of the Blue Lightning Pirates got us, too…"

"Yeah… but I just feel useless, sitting here and doing nothing, you know?" Shin sighed, as she glanced towards the door. "I guess Nampu feels that way even more than we do." Then, she glanced at Haze, who was looking away for some reason. "Haze? Something wrong?" she inquired.

"Oh? Um…" Haze uttered, as she scratched the back of her head, before smiling weakly. "Nothing; just worried about the others, is all." she said.

"…well, we should eat, and hope that they'll be back soon." Shin said, as she grabbed a spoon, before she, along with the others, began eating.

However, Haze was slower to start consuming her soup, as she briefly glanced at the window. _…is this sort of thing going to happen more?_ she thought, before she swallowed a spoonful of soup. _If that's the case… then I…_

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**Blue Lightning's Thunderclap part 5**

**The Conclusive Strike**

Hearing that agonized cry, Omega could only look up at the hotel with a worried expression. "That was Chris, no doubt about it…" he muttered, as he glanced at Honehakaisha, which was lying on the pavement. "…what on earth could have happened to Zugai?"

"Omega!" Hearing that, Omega glanced to his left, to see Jin flying towards him on a jet of water, carrying Amaya. "Did you hear that? It sounded like Chris!" he said, as he landed on the ground, looking at the cyborg.

"We heard it, too!" At that point, Ryozo and Collette, along with Maria and Cedric ran towards the three as well, as they all gathered down below. "D-do you think Zugai is alright?" Maria asked, as she noticed the labrys as well.

"Damn… I guess he must've started fighting Nikolai, or something." Amaya muttered, as she glared up at the hotel. _The kid actually knocked Nikolai up into the sky… he's certainly something._

"If he's fighting Nikolai, I doubt that he'll win." Cedric said with a mild shrug, as he folded his arms. "I don't doubt that he's strong… but Nikolai's bound to be stronger."

"Look, we can't just stand around here and do nothing!" Ryozo eventually said, as he looked at the others. "We've got to go help him out! He could be in serious-"

"Wait." Omega said, as he closed his eyes. "If he is battling Nikolai Iman… then we shouldn't interfere."

This led to the other Cross Skull Pirates looking at Omega in complete and utter shock. "…shouldn't inter- Omega! We can all see Honehakaisha lying there!" Jin said, as he pointed at the labrys. "If Nikolai managed to disarm Zugai, then he's in trouble! We have to help out!"

"…and what do you think Zugai would say to that?" Omega inquired, as he glanced at Jin. "He'd most likely say 'don't interfere', or something along those lines. The only thing we'd do up there is end up as targets for Nikolai."

"He's right." Collette said, as she folded her arms. "Nikolai is dead-set on killing Chris, but… if I know him right, he's likely got a wish to torture her beyond belief before he does so. What better way than to kill off her crewmates?" Then, she looked at Ryozo. "I know how you feel… but you'll have to leave this one to your captain."

"…tsch." Ryozo grunted, as he looked up. "Zugai… for god's sake, you had better not die on us!"

Just as the blade shot through him, the silver liquid began flowing from Tsukumo's canal, straight into Zugai's body. Having been impaled was bad enough, but the pain from the venom was almost unbearable, as he gritted his teeth, trying not to cry out in pain. When Nikolai finally withdrew the sword, Zugai collapsed, breathing heavily.

"ZUGAI!" Quickly pushing herself past Lance, Chris ran next to Zugai's body, feeling his pulse. "No… Z-Zugai! Come on, stay with me! You can't die here!" she pleaded, as she was on the verge of tears. "Goddamn it, Zugai, don't die on me!" she yelled, as she grabbed hold of his hand, keeping a firm grip on it._ Damn, damn, damn… this venom is hell on my body… and Zugai is… god, Chris, pull yourself together! You have to think of something!_

"It's useless." Nikolai said, as he looked down at Chris with a frown. "If he doesn't die from his wound, with the amount of the Lethal Venom I pumped into his body, he only has minutes to live." Then, he raised Tsukumo, ready to slash it at Chris. "But don't worry, Hopkins; he won't die alone."

However, before he could move his arm, someone suddenly grabbed it, holding it in place. "That's more than enough, Nikolai." Lance said, as he was holding Nikolai firmly in place, glaring at him with a murderous look. "You've done enough damage as it is. Leave it alone."

Hearing that, however, caused Nikolai to slowly glare back at Lance. "…leave it alone?" he said, before chuckling. "_This_ is the moment when you choose to say that?" Then, he turned to face Lance. "After I've condemned the Demon's Orthopedic to death… you're telling me to leave it alone?"

"You've had your fun." Lance said, as he still kept glaring at Nikolai. "Now lay down your sword; it's done."

"Done?" Nikolai repeated, before he chuckled. "Lance… it's not done. Not by a long shot." Then, he pointed Tsukumo at Chris, without looking at her. "I still haven't finished what I intended to do; kill Hopkins, and retrieve my treasure. Only then will it be done."

"Nikolai, are you even listening to what you're saying?" Lance uttered, as he clenched his hands. "You've already made sure that Hibiware is going to die, and you still want blood? Even after what you did to his crewmates earlier?"

"They were never my targets." Nikolai retorted. "And besides… you can't tell me that you're actually feeling sorry for him." Then, he scoffed. "You just kept watching as I battled him, knowing exactly how it was going to end… and I'm pretty damn sure that you were entertained by it, as well."

"That's beside the point!" Lance said, as he took hold of Nikolai's shoulders. "The point is, you've stepped out of line over a minor thievery! I know you, Nikolai; you should know better than to hassle Chris, just because she happened to steal your dagger from you! You know what I think you should have done? You should have just knocked her out and steal the dagger back!"

Blinking, Nikolai glanced back at Chris for a moment. _…she?_ he thought, before looking back at Lance. "Well, if you feel that I've stepped out of line, then why don't you do something about it, captain? Go find the antidote, and save him. But if you'll make it in time is beyond me."

Hearing that, Chris' eyes widened, as she glanced back at Nikolai. _Antidote?_ she thought, as she dug a hand into her jacket. _…of course! Why didn't I think of that earlier?_

"H-hey…"Zugai suddenly coughed, something which caught the attention of Chris, Lance and Nikolai, causing everyone but Nikolai to look at him."…if you were… gonna kill me… then… aren't you supposed… to watch me die…?" As he said that, he said it with a very cocky grin, as he looked weakly up at Nikolai.

At that point, Nikolai suddenly lost it, as the cool attitude he held while talking to Lance immediately shattered. "…you just can't stay dead, can you?" he spat, as he spun around, glaring down at Zugai, before pulling Tsukumo back. "Suit yourself! I'm going to make sure that you actually stay dead this time!"

"If you want to do that…" At that point, Chris stood up, before standing in between Zugai and Nikolai, holding her arms out. "…then you'll have to go through me first, Nikolai." As she said that, she looked up at the swordsman, and while one could see the fear in her eyes, it was overshadowed by nothing short of utter determination and bravery.

"…what's this supposed to be?" Nikolai scoffed, as he smirked. "Don't think that you're accomplishing anything noteworthy, Hopkins. I'll be glad to finish both you and your captain in one attack, so you can just stay right where you are."

"…Chris…" Zugai uttered, as he looked up at Chris, before he coughed. "A-are you… sure?"

"Listen, Zugai…" Chris said, as she didn't take her eyes off Nikolai, as she slowly moved her hand towards the inside of her jacket. "…I'm not doing this, just because you're my captain. I'm doing this because right now, there's an asshole who wants to kill my friend, and I just won't tolerate that."

"…are those your last words?" Nikolai scoffed, as he cracked his neck. "In that case, prepare to-"

"Actually, no." Chris interrupted, as she began digging in her jacket, still looking at Nikolai. "Those aren't my last words, and do you wanna know why? Because I'm not going to die here." Then, she smirked, but it quickly turned into a grimace, due to the Hypersensitivity venom kicking in. "And neither is my captain. And guess what?"

"…what?" Nikolai uttered, as he was ready to impale Chris at any moment's notice.

"…there's no way in hell that you're getting that dagger back, either; it's mine now, bitch!" Just as Chris said that, she pulled something out of her jacket, before spinning around and jabbing it right in Zugai's neck. Only a few seconds later did Zugai, Lance and Nikolai figure out what she had used; a syringe, filled with a white liquid, which was being injected into Zugai's body.

"That's… NO!" Nikolai yelled, as he glared at Chris in anger. "Where the hell did you get that?"

"Let's just say that…" Chris said, as she glanced at Lance. "…someone ought to be careful where they leave their stuff." Then, she gave a playful wink, which got Lance to remember something.

"_I'm looking for an antidote." Lance replied, before pulling out yet another syringe, but this one had a white liquid within it. "Nope, wrong one…" he shrugged, as he placed that syringe on the cupboard, before looking through the drawer again._

"_Hey…" Chris uttered, as she glanced at the other syringe on the cupboard. "…what antidote… is that?"_

"_Ah, that's for the Lethal Venom." Lance noted, as he began walking out the door. "It only comes out during the full moon, and… well, unless your crew can get you out of here, I'd say that he's going to kill you with that venom."_

Lance blinked, as he looked at Chris with wide eyes. _…so she managed to get that syringe, even with that much Hypersensitivity venom in her?_ he thought, as he smiled a bit. _What do you know… that girl really is something else._

"…you little…" Nikolai uttered, just as he aimed a backhand slap at Chris, knocking her away from Zugai, causing her to land by the hole Nikolai had been launched out of earlier. "You've crossed the line for the last time!" Then, he walked towards Chris, as he raised Tsukumo, ready to kill her. "DIE!"

"FARANKUTSUME!" Just as Nikolai swung the black sword down, it struck something else, and this caused it to stop dead in its tracks. As it turned out, Zugai had gotten back on his feet, and with claws protruding out of his hands, he was blocking Tsukumo from reaching Chris. "Sorry… but my crewmate isn't dying here!" he said, as he looked up at Nikolai with a confident look.

"…Zugai…" Chris uttered, as she couldn't help but smirk. "…go kick his ass."

"…that entire crew is filled with meddlers, it seems!" Nikolai growled, as he pushed himself away from Zugai, before raising the black sword in a defensive position. "Orthopedic, we've already been through this song and dance. You lack proper control, and without that, you won't be able to-" Before he could finish his sentence, Zugai rushed at him, slashing his claws at the swordsman, who quickly blocked them with Tsukumo.

"That might be the case with Honehakaisha…" Zugai began, as he grinned. "…but when it comes to other weapons, I got plenty of control!" Then, with extraordinary speed, Zugai began slashing his claws at Nikolai, who barely had time to block and evade these rapid attacks.

_Tsch… it's harder to repel his attacks, now that he has two sets of weapons. _Nikolai thought, as he eventually slashed Tsukumo so that they clashed against Zugai's claws, locking the two in a standstill. _His speed and power is still top-notch… and he somehow has more control, now that he isn't swinging his axe around._ Then, he pushed Zugai away, before preparing for whatever Zugai had in store for him now. _And to top it off… even with that gaping wound, he still fights on, as if he wasn't in any pain! What is this kid made of?_

"What's wrong? Is that all you have?" Zugai taunted, as he motioned for Nikolai to come at him. "And here I thought you said that you were going to kill me."

"…you just can't keep your mouth shut, can you?" Nikolai yelled, as he rushed right at Zugai, his anger clouding his sense of judgment, as he immediately swung Tsukumo down at Zugai. However, Zugai was quicker, side-stepping the attack and letting the sword strike the roof, before suddenly grabbing hold of Nikolai's arm, somehow keeping him from moving Tsukumo. _Damn… what is he doing to my arm? It feels much weaker, now…_

"Since you were so kind as to knock Honehakaisha off the hotel…" Zugai began, as he glanced at Nikolai, before smirking. "…I figure it's only fair to return the deed!" Then, he suddenly aimed a kick at Tsukumo's hilt, knocking it out of Nikolai's grip. Then, before Nikolai could grab the sword, Zugai took hold of it, before hurling it right off the edge of the hotel, coincidentally, causing the sword to land next to Honehakaisha down with the others.

_Shit! Where is he getting that strength from?_ Nikolai thought, as he glared at Zugai. "…don't think you've won, just because you disarmed me!" he yelled, as he threw a punch aimed right at Zugai's wound, actually pushing Zugai away from the swordsman.

However, once he stopped moving, Zugai smirked, as he looked up at Nikolai. "…what? That's it?" he said, as he cracked his neck. "That… didn't hurt."

"Kkh…" Nikolai growled, as he glared at Zugai. _I forgot about his defensive capabilities… damn it, he's making me lose focus!_

"Say, didn't you say something about… I don't know, me being at a disadvantage, without Honehakaisha?" Zugai noted, as he took a step forward. "I think the one with a disadvantage is you!" Then, at a blinding speed, he rushed at Nikolai, jamming his claws right into Nikolai's abdomen.

"GAH!" Nikolai really didn't expect that attack, as he looked down at Zugai. "…you… _you…_" Before Zugai could move away from Nikolai, the swordsman actually took hold of his arms, holding him in place. "You brat!" Before Zugai could retaliate, Nikolai slammed his own head against Zugai's, even as the latter was wearing a helm.

"That's the best comeback you have?" Zugai said with a smirk, as he began lifting his arms, with his claws still lodged in Nikolai. "I guess the show's almost over!" Then, with one massive heave, Zugai hurled Nikolai straight up in the air, leaving the swordsman just about as high in the air as when he had been punched through the hotel.

"…woah." Lance uttered, as he watched the battle with a stunned look. "He's taking on Nikolai like that, even with that gaping wound… he's strong, that's for sure."

"You have no idea…" Chris chimed in, as she briefly glanced at Lance, before looking towards Zugai, who seemed ready to leap after Nikolai. "…he's my captain, after all."

At that point, Zugai leapt right up after Nikolai, and by lightening his bones, he actually managed to travel right up to the swordsman, climbing onto his body. "Sorry, I'll have to borrow these!" Before Nikolai could stop him, Zugai grabbed hold of both of his legs, before pulling out both of his femurs. "I'll return them shortly!" Then, with another leap, Zugai effectively kicked Nikolai right back down at the ceiling.

"ARGH!" Once he crash-landed, Nikolai grunted, as he could only look up at Zugai. _Bastard… I can't move my legs!_ he thought, as he gritted his teeth. "…go on, Demon's Orthopedic." he spat, as his eyes widened. "DO YOUR WORST!"

"I will!" Zugai yelled back down at Nikolai, as he began falling towards the swordsman, raising both of the femurs like clubs, just as a crack of lightning appeared above him. "SOUSHI MOMOGACHAN!" Before Nikolai could hope to move aside, when Zugai reached the swordsman from the air, he slammed both of the femurs against the swordsman, with such immense force that Nikolai was immediately sent crashing down all the way to the ground floor.

Upon landing, Nikolai could barely stay conscious, as he looked weakly up at where he had been shot down from, looking at Zugai, who glared back down at him. _…he… actually did it…_ he thought, as he felt his consciousness fading. _…Hopkins… you're… lucky…_ At that point, Nikolai fell unconscious, as he was finally defeated.

Outside, everyone had seen Zugai kick down Nikolai, and coincidentally enough, the swordsman had been launched down next to the entrance, which allowed the Cross Skull and Blue Lightning Pirates gathered there to see Nikolai's body. "…no way…" Cedric uttered, as he looked at Nikolai's body in shock. "…that's Nikolai!"

"H-he's all beaten up!" Maria chimed in, as she looked at the swordsman. "A-and… he's not moving!"

"So…" Jin uttered, as he looked up towards the ceiling. "…does that mean…"

"…I do believe so, Jinketsu." Omega nodded, as he smiled, before glancing at Collette. "Maybe you should go help your crewmate out; he's likely to need intensive care."

"Oh, right." Collette nodded, as she actually looked a bit flustered, before she glanced at Amaya. "Come on, let's get him out of there." she said, before the three Blue Lightning Pirates went to Nikolai's side.

"…I'm gonna say it." Ryozo said, as he couldn't help but crack a smile, before he, along with the other Cross Skull Pirates, proudly gave out a cheer of victory. "HE WON!"

Back on the roof, Zugai was still looking down the hole, holding onto Nikolai's femurs. "Finally… I got him…" Zugai uttered, as he stumbled back, the blood loss finally getting to him. "Ugh…" However, just before he fell backwards, Chris ran towards him, holding him up. "…thanks, Chris." he said, as he glanced at Chris.

"No…" Chris said, as she shook her head, before giving Zugai a hug. "…thank _you._" After a short while, she took off Zugai's helm, before properly knocking her fist on his head.

"OW!" Zugai yelped, as he winced. "Why'd you do that?" he questioned, as Chris let go of him.

"That was for making me worry about you." Chris replied with a smile, before she raised her fist. "So don't make me worry again, you hear?"

Zugai blinked, as he glanced at the fist, before realizing what Chris was getting to. "…yeah. I won't do it again." he said, as he and Chris bumped their fists together. "Promise."

"Well, now, Demon's Orthopedic…" Lance finally said, as he approached the two of them, his arms behind his back. "…I do have to give you props. But, you did knock out a crewmate of mine." he said in a neutral tone, which led to Zugai looking at him crossly.

"Well, he took one of my crewmates, so I guess that makes us even." Zugai responded, as Chris helped him get on his feet, so he and Lance could see eye-to-eye. "Unless you're out for revenge, too?"

"No, can't say that I am." Lance said, as he placed a hand on Zugai's shoulder. "I just hope that there isn't going to be any bad blood between us… no grudges, alright?"

Zugai hummed, as he glanced at Chris, who merely gave him a nod. "…yeah, no grudges." he finally answered, as he looked back at Lance. "But only if you show me where you're keeping KC and Krystal." he added.

"Oh, yeah, of course." Lance said with a nod, as he glanced down at the femurs Zugai still held. "…but after that, do you think that you can put those back where they belong? I'd rather not have Nikolai become handicapped."

"…yeah, I guess so." Zugai muttered, just as he glanced up at the sky; as it turned out, the rain was stopping, and slowly, the clouds began dispersing, letting the moon shine down on them. "…the storm's over."

"Yeah…" Chris nodded, as she looked up at the sky as well. "…and not a moment too soon."

Back at the Howling Moon, Nampu was still waiting for the crew to get back, as he looked fairly drowsy. _…come on… get back…_ he thought, as his eyes began closing on their own.

"Hey, Nampu!" he heard Shin call, which gave him a start, as he glanced behind him. As it turned out, Shin, Craigmirra, Yu and Haze were standing behind him, Yu holding a towel. "We figured you could use some rest, after standing out here for so long." she said, smiling.

"Yeah, we can look out for Zugai and the others!" Craigmirra said with a laugh. "So don't you worry your silly, overblown face; we'll take it from here!"

"Hey, what's that thing about my face supposed to mean?" Nampu said, before he yawned a bit. "…thanks, guys. But if I've stayed up this long, I can stay up a bit longer…" he muttered, before looking back at the town, just as he noticed something. "…hn?"

"What's wrong, Nampu?" Yu asked, as she looked past Nampu, which led to her seeing what Nampu had seen. "…it's them! There they are!"

As it turned out, all the Cross Skull Pirates were walking towards the ship, with Omega holding onto KC, Maria carrying Krystal, Ryozo carrying Chris, and Jin supporting Zugai, who was dragging Honehakaisha after him. And as it turned out, both KC and Krystal were still asleep, in spite of all the commotion earlier. "Hey, guys!" Zugai called, as he glanced up at the Howling Moon. "We did it!"

That was enough to make the five aboard the ivory ship cry out in cheers, as Shin, Yu and Craigmirra rushed off the ship, to help the others get aboard. "You guys made it! Was it tough, or was it a walk in the park?" Craigmirra asked excitedly, as eventually, they got everyone back on the ship.

"I think we can answer your questions later; right now, we're all in need of some rest." Zugai said, just as he glanced at Nampu, who was looking at him with wide eyes. "…is something wrong, Na-" Before he could finish his sentence, Nampu grabbed him in a hug.

"You bastard… you had me worried sick!" Nampu said, as he strived to hold his tears in. "Don't you ever do that again, you hear?"

"…alright, I won't." Zugai said, as he patted Nampu on his back. "Promise." Then, the two broke apart. "Alright, everyone; let's get some rest."

"Easy for you to say…" Ryozo muttered, as he massaged his temples. "I'm the one who's gotta fix up the guys who got injured." he added in a joking tone, which got a chuckle out of the others. Then, the crew began moving to their bedrooms, or the infirmary, which left only Zugai and Haze on the deck.

"Haze, aren't you gonna go to sleep?" Zugai questioned, as he looked curiously at Haze.

"Actually… I wanted to tell you something." Haze said, as she took a deep breath, before folding her arms. "Zugai… you guys are the greatest. You let me on your ship, you gave me a place to sleep, you gave me food, and all I have to do is to stay on lookout in the crow's nest."

"…what are you getting at?" Zugai inquired, which made Haze look away a bit guiltily. "Is there something wrong?"

"Oh, no, nothing's wrong…" Haze muttered, as she took another deep breath, before looking at Zugai with an innocent smile. "…but when we get to the next island… I'll leave the ship."

**A/N: **Yeah, I know, I've neglected this for a good while, now. Sorry about that; school and stuff got in the way. Well, hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll just tell you to remember to read and review, and I'll- huh? Oh, yeah, the poll results. Well, we only had about eight voters, but I've put this off long enough. Here are the results of the question: "Who is your favorite Cross Skull Pirate crewmember?"

First, with a total of five votes, is Zugai Hibiware! Following him in a three-way tie with two votes each, are KC Boom, Chrisanthia Hopkins and Yu! And following that, with one vote each, are Jinketsu Namura, Maria, Ryozo Yamaguchi and Omega! Which leaves Nampu Kiyasui, Krystal Gem, Shin Mikage and Craigmirra with zero votes, I'm afraid.

Thanks to all eight of you who voted, and let me just say that there's a new poll you might want to check out now on my profile. Well, tune in next time, when we delve into something a bit different from the norm! See you soon (hopefully)!

**YolkaEd**


	74. A Day in the Life of a Hunter part 1

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WE'RE BROKE'?" At the moment, we find ourselves on the small boat, carrying four bounty hunters; Tenpan Junsatsu, Akira Mikage, Vraspos von Baron and Morte del Astuto. Right now, while Morte kept an eye out on the horizon, and Vraspos was resting, Tenpan was verbally abusing Akira, who desperately tried scooting away from her.

"L-like I said…" Akira began, as Tenpan glared at him from underneath her green hair. "…we used up what money we had left on provisions on the last island. So we're broke!"

"Oh, for crying out…" Tenpan growled, before she glared at Morte, who was still looking towards the horizon. "This is all your fault, Manigordo!" she yelled, as she pointed at him. "You shouldn't have squandered what we had!"

"…is that my fault, now?" Morte replied without bothering to look back at Tenpan. "I can assure you, we've had perfectly good funding for the three of us for quite some time."

"Yeah, but there's just one problem with that…" Tenpan growled, as she suddenly spun around again, grabbing Akira and shaking him wildly. "THERE ARE FOUR OF US ON THIS GODDAMN BOAT! YOU CAN'T FUND FOUR PEOPLE WITH MONEY MEANT FOR ONLY THREE!"

"Why are you shaking me around, and not him?" Akira yelled in panic, before eventually, Vraspos separated the two from each other.

"Because she knows better." he replied, before he glanced at Morte. "Besides… Morte, isn't there something you wanted to tell us?"

"Ah, yes…" Morte nodded, as he took something out of his jacket, before handing it to Vraspos; as it turned out, it was a wanted poster, showing a wrinkled, old man with a wicked grin, along with a moustache and beard that was intertwined with some ribbons. "He's called 'Sorcerer' Sihiri, and apparently, he's been causing problems on an island for the past six months."

"…he's got a bounty of 69 million Beri!" Akira immediately noted, though something about it struck him as odd. "But… if he's been making trouble like that for six months, how come I haven't seen his face on any other wanted poster yet?"

"I'd guess someone's a good friend of this guy, within the Marines." Morte shrugged, as he kept his gaze towards the horizon. "Even if he couldn't stop Sihiri from getting a bounty, he could keep it from being published with the newspapers. Hell, I only found that because some drunk in a bar had a copy. A few thousand Beri was enough to persuade him to give it to me."

"SO IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT WE DON'T HAVE ANY MONEY, MANIGORDO!" Tenpan yelled, as she prepared to throttle Morte, though Akira was quick to hold her back before she could reach him. "YOU SON OF A- WOULD YOU LET ME TEACH HIM A LESSON?"

"Please, you're gonna make Mouse Trap capsize!" Akira pleaded, before Vraspos again separated the two, giving Tenpan a glare.

"So, Morte…" Vraspos began, as he glanced at the bounty hunter at the front. "…what else did that drunk have to offer?"

"Well…" At that point, Morte turned to face the others, showing something he held in his hands; an Eternal Pose. "He was kind enough to throw this in, since I paid him handsomely for the poster. This Eternal Pose leads to Sobieru Island, where Sihiri has his base of operations."

"Woah." Akira uttered, as he observed the Eternal Pose. "So we'll be taken right to where Sihiri's hiding out? Awesome!" he said in a gleeful tone.

"Wait, something doesn't add up." Tenpan shot in, as she looked at Morte with a raised eyebrow. "Why would a random drunkard you just met happen to have not only a wanted poster with Sihiri's head on it, but also an Eternal Pose that leads right to him? It's too good to be true."

"So you're suggesting that it's a trap?" Vraspos inquired, as he glanced at Tenpan.

"I'm not suggesting; I'm stating the facts." Tenpan replied, as she kept looking at Morte. "Don't you think we should think this through, Manigordo?"

"Hey, we need money, right?" Morte chuckled, as he looked back towards the horizon. "And this Sihiri should be good practice, before we meet the Demon's Orthopedic again." Then, he stood up, before pointing his left arm, and his pata sword, forward. "Now, let's show this Sorcerer how fierce we bounty hunters just can get!"

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Day in the Life of a Hunter part 1**

**Sobieru, the Tower Island**

Sobieru Island had one very noticeable landmark, which the villagers around the island all feared equally; a massive, black tower, standing at least 200 feet above sea level, looming over the island like a shadow, cast over every small town.

Within the tower, things were quite lively, with many workers reading through books and practicing their sword-arms. High up in the tower, within one chamber, a throne room was located, with an old man sitting on the throne itself, his moustache and beard wrapped together with ribbons. On his left and right, a man and a woman were sitting, with the man having light-blue, impossibly spiky hair, scars riddling his face, and wearing a white robe that covered his arms, and the woman wearing a standard, black Mafioso outfit, with a kodachi and a wakizashi, both blades in their sheaths, hanging on her back.

At that point, the doors leading into the throne room opened, as two men wearing what seemed like uniforms one would find at a school shoved in a man who was wearing black robes, along with a hood which hid his face. However, one could tell from his stumbling and hiccups that he seemed to be drunk. "Lord Sihiri, this man was found inside the tower, rambling about a poster and a pose. What shall his punishment be?" one of the men said with a brief salute.

Grunting, the elderly man glanced at the drunkard, before waving the two men away. "Leave us." he muttered. "I'll decide his punishment in peace." Giving him a bow, the two men left, closing the door behind them. "…so, you went ahead and did it, Tyches."

Hearing that name got the drunkard to look up at Sihiri, before he stood up, pulling the hood off his head, revealing that yes, this was Etels Tyches. "Very perceptive of you." he said, before wiping his lip. "Tsch… I hope for your sake that you can take care of them. Playing a drunkard is the last thing I'll ever do in my life…"

"Well, of course I can take care of a bunch of lowly bounty hunters!" Sihiri said with a sour tone, as he stood up, before approaching Etels. "Would Yomuin have recommended me to you otherwise?"

"I'll have to admit, out of the leaders of each Family-branch…" Etels muttered, as he looked at Sihiri. "…Yomuin seems the most trustworthy. But the question is; can you handle this person?"

"Of course I can!" Sihiri said, as he snapped his finger, briefly creating a spark of electricity. "A young fool like him should be no match for me… but I do wonder how on earth you got hold of a wanted poster of me."

"I have connections." Etels shrugged, as he placed a hand on Sihiri's shoulder. "Now, Manigordo could be at your island at any moment. He'll have his two lackeys with him, but nothing your subordinates can't handle, right?"

"Of course, of course…" Sihiri muttered, as he turned away from Etels. "Just get going, already. My minions down below expects that I left no trace of the drunkard's body."

"Of course." Etels said with a bow, before a pair of silvery wings suddenly sprouted from his back. "I'll wait to hear from you soon." Then, he flew right through a window, smashing the glass as he flew off.

"…hmph. That man is a crafty one…" Sihiri muttered, as he walked back to his throne. "All because this 'Manigordo' failed to kill one man, Tyches wants him wiped off the face of the earth…" Then, as he sat down on his throne, he glanced at the man sitting by him. "Girikai, are you ready for battle?"

Girikai glanced up at Sihiri, before grinning wickedly. "What kinda question is that, boss?" he said, before he glanced at the woman. "Dargano, what about you?" All he got from her as a response was a brief nod, as she stood up, cracking her neck. "Heh… she's ready, too."

"Good." Sihiri said with a chuckle, before he looked up at the ceiling. "Now, Manigordo… let's see just what you are capable of!"

On the small boat, Mouse Trap, Morte was still watching the horizon carefully, making sure that they were on the right course. Akira and Vraspos were resting, whilst Tenpan was merely looking at Morte, her arms folded. "…what is it?" Morte eventually said, without looking back at Tenpan. "You've been looking at me for the past few hours. Get some sleep, already."

"…Manigordo." Tenpan began, as she tilted her head. "I have to ask, even though it may not be any of my business… but why did you become a bounty hunter, anyway?"

"You're right; it's none of your business." Morte responded, as he glanced at Tenpan from the corner of his eyes. "Now, go to sleep."

"…fine." Tenpan muttered, as she lied down, closing her eyes. "…but it'd be easier to sleep if we had more than one boat."

"Do I hear criticizing of Mouse Trap?" Morte said, as he glanced at Tenpan. "I'll have you know, this is the ship I've been using ever since I entered the bounty hunting business."

"Really?" Tenpan uttered, as she sat up, looking at Morte. "And… how long ago was that?"

"None of your business." Morte quickly responded, as he closed his eyes. "You're really keen on knowing about my past, aren't you?"

"Well, I hardly know any of you people." Tenpan muttered, as she folded her arms. "And seeing as I've got nowhere else to go, I might as well get to know you guys better."

"…tell you what." Morte eventually said, as he turned around to look at Tenpan. "If you can nail someone in a battle on Sobieru Island, I'll gladly tell you about my past. And hey, maybe I can get the others to join in on that as well. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah, it does." Tenpan nodded, before she lied down again, closing her eyes. "Just watch, Manigordo; I'll take down anyone who gets in my way…" As she said that, she yawned, before falling asleep.

"…hmph." Scoffing, Morte turned back to face the horizon, as he glanced at the Eternal Pose. _…take down anyone who gets in my way…_ he thought, before looking ahead. _Why does that sound familiar…?_ As he thought that, he noticed something in the distance; namely, an island. "…well, what do you know..." With a smirk, he grabbed hold of a pair of oars, before rowing towards the island.

After around twenty minutes, Mouse Trap hit the shore, and Morte stepped out of the small boat, stretching his arms out, whilst yawning. "Well, we're here." he muttered, before glancing at the sleeping bounty hunters. _…I'll let them sleep for a bit._ he thought, before looking ahead. "Now, let's see if there's anyone around here…"

At that point, something struck the ground right in front of his feet. Blinking, Morte looked down, only to see an arrow sticking out of the sand. "Huh…" With a bewildered look, Morte crouched down to pick the arrow up, when another one just barely missed him, flying out to sea. _…I think there's someone who doesn't want me here._

With a sigh, Morte shifted into his hybrid-form, glancing around the area with his eyes, to get a better view of where he stood. A small slope led from the shore, towards a village, which rested not too far from a large, black tower, which loomed over the village. Also, along the shoreline, a couple of bushes and trees were lined up. _…yeah, definitely someone who doesn't want me here…_

At that point, an arrow flew out from one of the trees, and while it completely missed Morte, it hit someone else; namely, Akira, straight in his left arm. The pain jolting through his body was enough for him to practically fly out of Mouse Trap, holding his arm in pain. "OWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW MY ARM!" he yelled, which caused both Tenpan and Vraspos to wake up, looking around them in bewilderment.

"Just sit still, Akira, and it'll be done soon." Morte muttered, as he rushed right at the tree where the arrow had come from, leaping up and thrusting his pata sword into the leaves and branches. While he didn't hit anything, he could hear a terrified, female yelp. Blinking, he crawled further in, only to see a pair of kids, one of them a boy wearing a white t-shirt and shorts, and the other a girl wearing a blue t-shirt and a red skirt, along with a bow in her hands and a quiver full of arrows on her back. Needless to say, both of them looked terrified.

"S-sis, I told you it was a bad idea!" the boy said, as he clung to his sister for dear life, looking at Morte with a terrified look. "N-now he knows where we are!"

"I… I don't care!" the girl said with a gulp, as she clumsily searched for another arrow in the quiver, whilst her other hand, the one holding the bow, was shaking. "I-I won't let another bad pirate come to our island!" As she said that, she pulled the arrow out, before preparing to draw it along the bow's string…

…only for her to realize that the string had been cut, which made her absolutely terrified. "…pirates? Us?" Morte muttered, as he pressed two fingers against his temples, chuckling. "You two have never heard of me before, have you?"

"Wh-why should we? You mean rooster-hairdo man!" the girl said, as she threw the arrow at Morte, but when he simply caught it with his tail, both of the kids clung to each other in fright.

"…my hairdo doesn't look like a rooster's." Morte said, as he suddenly gave both of the kids a light tap on their head. "Now apologize for making fun of my hair."

"HELLO? I'M STILL KIND OF IN PAIN HERE!" they could hear Akira yell, which made all three of them look back towards the shore, where Akira was running around in panic, whilst Tenpan was on guard, and Vraspos massaged his temples out of disbelief.

"…tell you what." Morte began, as he looked at the kids. "Why don't you take us to some place we can heal my associate? Then I'll forget the fact that you tried to kill us. Deal?"

"I'm VERY sorry for my children's behavior…" At the moment, the four bounty hunters were in the village by the tower, where Akira was in bed, his left arm having been bandaged, whilst the other three were currently eating some food by a table. "But please, I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive them." As it turned out, the one who was talking to the three was a middle-aged man, with a five-o' clock shadow, and square glasses, along with a brown shirt and blue pants.

"Don't mention it." Morte shrugged, as he was busy eating. "You gave us free food, and Akira a bed to recover in, so it's all forgiven."

"But do pirates attack the village often, or something?" Tenpan inquired, as she looked at the man.

"Oh, no…" the man admitted sheepishly, as he scratched the back of his head. "It's just… my children are a bit jumpy when it comes to newcomers here on Sobieru Island."

"And why is that?" Vraspos inquired, as he glanced at the man. "They don't seem to be older than nine years old, and they're threatening would-be attackers with arrows. Something must have happened on the island that would lead kids to such extremes."

"…it's because of the Sorcerer, Sihiri." the man eventually said, as he sat down on a chair, looking out the window, towards the black tower. "I'm sure that you've seen the tower, on the outskirts of the village."

"Yeah, it's not a very subtle construct." Tenpan noted, as she glanced at the tower. "How long has it been there?"

"…the past six months." the man said with a sigh, before he closed his eyes. "Sihiri, along with his henchmen, arrived here completely unexpected. We tried fending them off, but we were no match for his powers… my wife ended up as one of the casualties…"

"Sucks." Morte muttered, as he continued eating. "What sort of powers does Sihiri have, anyway?"

"Manigordo!" Tenpan said sharply, as she knocked her elbow into his arm. "The proper response to someone who just told you that their wife died is _not _"sucks", you inconsiderate prick!"

"Hey, what else am I supposed to say?" Morte retorted, as he rubbed his arm with an annoyed look. "It's not like I knew her, or any of the people on this island…"

"Oh, don't worry about that…" the man said, something that made Tenpan look at him. "…you asked about Sihiri's powers? Well…" he began, as he scratched his chin. "…he has magic abilities. I have no idea how he managed to attain powers like that; they certainly do not come from any Devil Fruit. We tried drowning him, and he managed to swim back to shore."

"So he hasn't eaten a Devil Fruit…" Vraspos muttered, as he looked at the man. "…but to what extent does his magic abilities stretch out to?"

The man hummed, as he pushed his glasses up in thought. "…well, he can conjure and throw spheres of fire, emit electricity from his fingertips, and he can even freeze the very air itself. I'm not sure if he has broader abilities, but those three spells are what I know he can do."

"What about his henchmen?" Vraspos asked, as he folded his arms. "Are they as strong as he is?"

"Not by a long shot." the man said with a shake of his head. "Only his two most loyal subordinates are a force to be truly reckoned with; the rest are just grunts, who barely know how to handle the spears they've been entrusted with." Then, he raised an eyebrow. "…just why are you asking me about this?"

"Thanks for the info, old man." Morte replied with a shrug, as he stood up from the table, before cracking his knuckles. "Vraspos, Tenpan, let's go; we have a sorcerer to capture."

Hearing that, the man stumbled away from the three, looking at them in disbelief. "You… you're actually going to take out Sihiri?" he uttered.

"No, we're going to give him a nice massa- what the hell do you _think_ we're going to do with him?" Morte uttered sarcastically, as he gave both Tenpan and Vraspos a nod. "You two wait outside; I'll go tell Akira that we'll be gone for… I don't know, maybe an hour, at the most."

"Someone's confident today." Vraspos noted, as he began walking towards the exit, motioning for Tenpan to follow him.

"Hrm…" Tenpan hummed, as she looked at Morte. "This had better not end up backfiring, Manigordo." she said, before she followed Vraspos. However, when Morte was about to head to where they kept Akira, the man suddenly grabbed his arm, making the bounty hunter glare at him.

"…you're really serious about this?" the man said, as he looked Morte squarely in the eyes.

"…yeah." Morte said with a look that screamed 'duh' at the top of its lungs, before he rolled his eyes. "The only reason I came to this island was to take down Sihiri, anyway." Then, he yanked his arm free from the man. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a comrade to inform."

"Just a moment!" the man said, as he ran over to a cabinet, opening a drawer in it, which he rummaged through, before finding a small bag. "Ah, here we are." he said, as he approached Morte again.

"…and what is that?" Morte inquired, as he looked at the bag.

"A doctor once forgot these on this island, and they've been in my care ever since." the man said, as he handed the bag to Morte. "I have no need for something like that, but… my wife was planning on using one before she was killed. She had eaten a Zoan, and… well, my kids told me that you could transform into an ocelot, so it could work for you."

"…I see." Morte nodded, as he pocketed the bag. "I'll keep it in mind. Thanks." he said, before turning away from the man. _Weirdo…_ he thought, before heading to see Akira.

Meanwhile, however, on top of the tower, someone was observing the village with a telescope, seeing Vraspos and Tenpan waiting outside for Morte. "He's finally shown up…" this someone uttered, as he moved the telescope away, showing that it was Sihiri. "Soon, he's going to feel my power… and there's nothing he can do about that!" Then, he began cackling, as electricity crackled out of his hands.

**A/N: **Yes, I'm doing something like this. I was inspired by SeeNoEvil121's little look into the backstories of the Blue Lightning Pirates, and decided 'Hey, why not take my own twist on things'? So, along with some present action scenes, get ready for some flashbacks! So, with a reminder of my Formspring account and the new poll on my account page, I'll see you guys for the next chapter!

**YolkaEd**


	75. A Day in the Life of a Hunter part 2

"Okay, so do you have a plan?" At the moment, Morte, Vraspos and Tenpan were walking towards the massive tower, where Sihiri was hiding out. "Or do we just charge blindly in, without any idea on what could attack us?" Tenpan said, as she glanced at Morte, who was making sure that his pata sword was properly strapped to his left arm.

"It's not like any of us have a Devil Fruit that can be used to spy on people." Vraspos said, as he weighed his large Zweihänder on his shoulder. "So in essence, we have no choice _but_ to charge in blindly."

"Not necessarily." Morte noted, as he looked up at the tower. "We don't know how this tower is constructed, so we could try and find a secret passage into it, or something along those lines."

"Yeah, but that's not gonna detract from the fact that we don't know how many men Sihiri has in there." Tenpan muttered, as she took out her Shock Baton, inspecting it. "This whole thing reeks of a trap…"

"Hey, there's a man with a bounty of 69 million on his head in that tower, right?" Morte said with a chuckle, as he took out his guns, to check if they were properly loaded. "Weren't you the person who was complaining over the fact that we were broke?" As he said that, Tenpan grudgingly looked away. "Don't worry; we're professionals. This won't take long…" Then, he glanced at Tenpan. "…well, for most of us, anyway."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Tenpan snapped, as she glared at Morte.

"Both of you." Vraspos suddenly said, as he stopped, before pointing towards the tower. "Someone's coming."

As it turned out, they could see that the main gate of the tower was slowly opening, and even then, a horde of men wearing what appeared to be school uniforms was rushing out of the gate, each of them holding a spear that had a jagged, dark spearhead. And the worst thing about this was that all of them were rushing at the three bounty hunters.

"Guess there's no avoiding it, now…" Morte muttered, as he turned into his hybrid-form, before quickly smacking his lips. "There seems to be about thirty of them. You two take five, and I'll handle the rest."

"This is no time to be counting how many people we're gonna take down!" Tenpan said, as she glared at the incoming soldiers, as her baton began emitting electricity. "We'll just cut through, and rush into the building."

"How about I take ten, you fifteen, and Tenpan takes five?" Vraspos suggested, as he began rotating the Zweihänder in his hands.

"HEY!" Tenpan called to Vraspos, as the uniformed men got closer… but as it turned out, even as the bounty hunters were in front of them, the men merely ran past them, headed for the village instead. "…eh?"

"…why didn't they attack us?" Vraspos mused, as he looked back at the men, who were heading for the village. "...maybe they're going to attack the village. Morte, should we go back there and help out?"

"You're not helping anyone!" At that point, the bounty hunters could see two people leap from a window at the tower, before landing on the ground, without any sort of injury. When the dust from their landing settled, they could see who it was; a man with impossibly spiky, light-blue hair, wearing a white robe that covered his arms, along with a woman clad in a standard Mafioso-outfit, along with a black fedora.

"…and who are you?" Morte uttered in a bored tone, as he watched the two people.

"My name's Girikai." the man uttered, as he suddenly pulled out a nodachi with a jagged edge, as the woman drew out a kodachi and wakizashi, holding the latter weapon behind her back. "And her name's Dargano. And on behalf of Sihiri, we're gonna grind you into the ground!"

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Day in the Life of a Hunter part 2**

**Akira Mikage, the Aloof Big Brother**

Lying awake in his bed, Akira was looking up at the ceiling, holding his bandaged arm with a frown. _…wish I could be with you guys and fight._ he thought, as he closed his eyes. _But I wouldn't be of much help to you in this state, Morte, would I…?_ As he thought that, his mind slowly wandered, and he began dreaming…

"_Who are you?" About three years ago, somewhere in the East Blue, two people were standing against each other; one of them being a 20-year old Akira Mikage, and the other, a 18-year old Morte del Astuto, the latter who pointed his kris dagger at the former._

"_Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Morte del Astuto, a bounty hunter." Morte replied, before smirking. "I've heard many things about your father, Akira Mikage. A world-renowned assassin… and here, his son is standing in front of me."_

_Hearing mention of his father got Akira riled up, as he clenched his hands into fists. "…so what do you want?"_

"_Easy; I'm here to cut a deal with you." Morte said with a smirk. "Become my partner in bounty hunting. A professional assassin such as you would make a perfect right-hand man to rely on."_

"…_forget it." Akira responded, as he got in a fighting pose. "I'm looking for someone special to me… and I've got no time to be hunting bounties!"_

"_Then I suppose I'll have to force you." Morte shrugged, as he began morphing, into his hybrid form, before he laughed._

"_H-hey! Did you eat a Devil Fruit?" Akira uttered, as he saw Morte's cat-like appearance now._

"_That's right; the Neko Neko no Mi, Model: Ocelot." Morte said, before he suddenly vanished into thin air. "It increases my speed beyond compare!"_

_At that point, Morte reappeared behind Akira, as he attempted to jab his kris into Akira's arm, but Akira was quicker, grabbing hold of Morte, before swinging him over him, sending Morte crashing into the ground. "Did you think that I would go down without a fight?" Akira said, as he cracked his neck._

"…_I'll admit, you took me by surprise." Morte said with a chuckle, as he quickly got on his feet. "Then how about a deal?" he added. "If you beat me, I'll leave. But if I beat you, you'll have to become my partner. Deal?"_

"…_fine! If it'll get you away from me, then I accept!" At that point, Akira rushed right at Morte with a battle cry, as Morte slouched down, grinning._

At that point, Akira heard screaming from outside, which caused him to spring out of bed. "Uh… huh?" he uttered, as he slowly got out of bed, before glancing out the window. As it turned out, a bunch of men wearing school uniforms were attacking the small village, pulling out several people from their houses. "What the… what are they doing?"

Just then, he heard a door being forced open downstairs. Thinking quickly, he suddenly dived under the bed, keeping a watchful eye at the door. After a short while, one of the uniformed men barged into the room, pointing his spear everywhere. "Alright, whoever's in here, come out!" the man demanded.

…_what's with that uniform?_ Akira thought, as he watched the man look through the room, thankfully not thinking to look underneath the bed. _Sheesh… looks like I got to do something about this…_

"There has to be someone in here!" the man said, as he had opened a closet, pulling out lots of clothes. "Come on; where are you?"

"Right behind you." Before the man could hope to react, Akira had gotten out from underneath the bed, before grabbing the man in a choke-hold with his good arm. "Talk; what's going on here?"

"Kkh… where the hell were you hiding?" the man coughed, but that only caused Akira's hold to tighten, further choking the man.

"I was under the bed. Did you even consider looking down there?" Akira replied with a dumbfounded look, as he gave out a sigh. "Now talk. What are all those people outside doing with the villagers?"

"Kkh… orders from Sihiri…" the man uttered. "It happens… once every month. We take the villagers out, and… kill one of them."

Hearing that made Akira positively mad, as his grip on the man strengthened again. "Why?" he yelled. "Why would you do something like that?"

"Because…" the man coughed, before he began chuckling. "…Sihiri thinks that it's… good exercise for us... and he's right."

At that point, however, Akira suddenly snapped the man's neck, letting his body fall to the ground. "_…good exercise?_" he snarled through clenched teeth. _What kind of people… goddamn it… he sounded just like…_

"_What? How can you say something like that, dad?" 18 years ago, a five-year old Akira was glaring at an adult, who was sitting in a chair with his arms folded, looking sternly down at the boy._

"_You heard me, son." the man said, as he closed his eyes. "Any girl who's born into the Mikage family is to be killed. Women could never hope to be as great assassins as men; they're too weak for that."_

"_But how can you plan to kill my baby sister, just for her being a girl?" Akira yelled, as he was holding back his tears. "She's not even a month old yet, dad!"_

"_That's the way it is, Akira." his father said, as he stood up. "When you grow up, you'll learn to understand-"_

"_I don't, and I won't understand what you're saying!" Akira yelled again. "I… I won't let you kill Shin!"_

"…_then what are you going to do about it?" his father said with a harsh tone."Are you going to dishonor your family name? Make a mockery of the legacy the Mikages have created?"_

"…_I just don't want you to kill her!" Akira said, as he finally began crying. "I've never had a baby sister before… and you know that mom is too sick to have another baby!"_

"…_but how far are you going to go, just to save her?" his father said, as he raised an eyebrow._

"_I…" As he spoke, Akira choked on the words; he had a plan, but it would mean doing something incredibly painful. "…I can make a deal with you!"_

"_A deal?" Hearing that proposition actually made his father look at him with a mildly surprised look, as he folded his arms, waiting for Akira to state the deal's conditions._

"_Yeah… let her live until she's five!" Akira began. "Then… you can… disown her, and drop her in the woods somewhere!"_

"…_and then?" his father inquired._

"_Then… when I grow old enough, I'll go out and find her!" Akira said. "And when I find her… I'll take her back here, and prove that you were wrong; that women _can_ be good assassins!"_

_Hearing that, Akira's father began laughing. "You're serious, aren't you?" he chuckled, before walking out of the room. "Very well. She'll live, son."_

Cries from outside knocked Akira out of his stupor, as he quickly glanced out the window, where several people had been lined up, including the man who had taken care of the bounty hunters, and his two children. "Crap!" Quickly, he grabbed the dead man's spear, before running down the stairs. When he got to the first floor, he carefully peeked out the half-open door, to get a better look at the scene.

"Alright, you all know the drill by now!" one of the men said, as the others pointed their spears at each of the villagers, whilst the one who gave the order looked at the villagers. "Now, who is going to die today…?" Humming, he eventually stopped in front of the father, who closed his eyes in anticipation.

"…bastards." Hearing that remark, however, caused the man to look at the younger daughter, who had her own eyes closed, but not because of anticipating death, but because she was mad. "You're nothing but a bunch of bastards, taking people and killing them just for fun…" Then, she glared at the man. "You people make pirates look decent!"

"…why, you cheeky little brat." the man said with clear restraint in his voice, before he walked towards the girl, and promptly smacked her across the cheek. "You watch your tongue! Or do you want to die?"

Seeing the man treat the girl like that, Akira growled. _Goddamn it…_

"_Agh!" Fifteen years ago, an eight-year old Akira was currently training his three-year old sister in fencing, and had just knocked her to the ground. "Ow… big bro, do we have to keep doing this? I'm starting to grow hungry…"_

"_We don't know if the traps we set up have gotten us any animals yet, Shin." Akira said, as he rubbed the girl's head. "But if it'll make you feel better, we can take a break!"_

"…_thanks, big bro." Shin replied with a smile, before the two sat down. "…big bro? Why are we fighting with swords, again?" she asked, as she looked at Akira with a curious glance._

"…_because I don't want you to get hurt." Akira replied, as he closed his eyes, smiling. "There's a lot of bad people out there… and they could do horrible things to you if you're not careful."_

"_That doesn't sound good…" Shin noted, as she looked at the ground, before looking back at Akira, smiling. "But you'll be there to protect me, right?"_

"…_sometimes, I can't." Akira said, as he looked at Shin, before placing a hand on her shoulder. "But… if I train you, you'll know how to act on your own. And then, you could protect me, if I got in trouble."_

"_But big bro, you're too cool to get in trouble!" Shin laughed. "There's no way that you'd get in trouble, ever!"_

"…_yeah, maybe you're right." Akira said, as he suddenly hugged Shin. "Just be careful… alright?"_

"…_okay, big bro…" Shin replied, as she giggled a bit. "You're kind of a softie, aren't you, big bro?" she said._

"_H-hey, that's not true…" Akira uttered, as both of them eventually started laughing._

"Aah!" At that point, the girl's brother was pulled out of the ranks by one of the men, whilst the ringleader raised his spear. "In the name of Sihiri!" he yelled, as the other uniformed men yelled in tandem with him.

"W-wait!" the boy's father said, as he tried moving forward, but one of the men quickly blocked him from doing that. "Don't kill him! He's my son!"

"Sorry, old man, but you know the rules." the ringleader said with a sneer, before the boy was thrown to the ground. At that point, the ringleader pointed his own spear at the boy. "Alright, kid; time to die!" he said, as he raised his spear…

…however, he didn't thrust it down. As it turned out, a spear had suddenly rammed through his body, leaving him with a perplexed look, before he fell to the ground, dead. "Threatening to kill innocent people is wrong to begin with…" As it turned out, the one who had thrown the spear was Akira, who had exited the building, before walking towards the group. "…but when you involve children into that mix, that's going too far!"

Upon seeing Akira, the armed men immediately aimed their spears at him, though with some nervousness, as he had just killed their leader. "Wh-who are you?" one of them uttered, as Akira began approaching them.

"_Come on, is that all that an assassin from the Mikage family can muster?" Lying on the ground in defeat was Akira, bloodied and bruised, as he weakly glared up at Morte, who wiped blood off his kris. "What a disappointment… it didn't last nearly as long as I had hoped for."_

"_Kkh… damn it…" Akira coughed, as he tried getting up. "I… can't lose… I have to find my little sister…!"_

"…_if that's the case…" Morte scoffed, as he pointed his kris at Akira. "…then tell me who you are."_

"My name… is Akira Mikage!" Akira said, as he cracked the knuckles in his right hand. "And I… am a bounty hunter!" At that point, he ran towards the men, who all charged right at the lone man.

Three of them tried impaling him with their spears, but he was quick enough to leap over the incoming spears, grabbing one of them in the process. Gritting his teeth, he swung his left arm at the man holding that particular spear, which knocked him out, though it sent a jolt of pain through Akira's body.

However, with the spear he held, he spun it around to knock away several of the men attempting to run him through, before stabbing the spear into one of the men, instantly killing him. Two more tried getting him from behind, but he was quick to duck under the spears, before slashing his own at them, cutting them.

"_Wow, big bro, you're incredible!" a four-year old Shin said in awe, as Akira had brought a wild boar down to the ground with nothing but his hands._

"_Nah, this is nothing." Akira chuckled, as he wiped sweat off his brow, looking down at the boar. "I could take three of these guys down if I wanted!"_

"_Really?" Shin said, before pointing ahead of Akira. "Because there's three of them over there, right now!"_

"_Huh?" Hearing that made Akira realize that three boars were rushing towards him and Shin, and surprise, they were a whole lot bigger than the boar he had wrestled down. "…well, it's getting late, so let's get home!" he said, before quickly grabbing Shin and running away, all whilst Shin laughed._

Three more men tried attacking Akira, but he was quicker, swiftly swinging the spear he held to block the attacks, before hurling it into the man in the middle, impaling his stomach. Then, he grabbed another man's spear with his left hand, swallowing the pain, as he aimed a kick at a third man's face.

"Die, you bastard!" At this point, one of the men he had knocked down earlier tried jumping at Akira from behind with a knife, but before he could get to the bounty hunter, he was met with a fist to the face, as Akira had slammed his hand backwards to strike him, before swinging the spear to knock a group of them down.

"_That's it…" At this point, the bloodied Akira was standing over Morte, who was struggling to get up, but even then, he was laughing, as he looked up at Akira. "That's the kind of assassin I would expect from a Mikage!"_

"_Don't refer to me as an assassin." Akira said, as Morte slowly got to his feet. "I've abandoned that profession."_

"Surround him!" At this point, the remaining men had gotten a safe distance from Akira, before they had surrounded him in a circle, all of them ready to kill him there and then. "ATTACK!" Then, they ran right at him, screaming a battle cry.

However, Akira responded by slamming the spear into the ground, before taking a good hold of the grip. "Come and get it!" As the men got close enough to attack, Akira suddenly began running in a circle around the spear whilst holding it, and when they got in his reach, he suddenly leapt up and started running across the men, kicking their faces as he ran.

Soon enough, the men all fell down from being attacked like that, as they looked in shock at Akira, who had stopped running, pulling the spear out of the ground, before he looked at them with a disappointed look. "…incredible… how does he move like that?" one of the men said in utter horror.

"And his left arm's bandaged! How the hell is he fighting like that?" another one of them croaked.

"…you want the secret behind how I'm doing this?" Akira uttered, as he looked at them with a deadly glare. "Because I'm looking for my sister."

"…WHAT THE HELL KINDA REASON IS THAT?" some of the men uttered, as they rushed at Akira again, intending to run him through with their spears, but as they ran at him, Akira suddenly jabbed his spear into the ground, before pole-vaulting over the men. "Eh?"

"_Big bro… you'll never leave me, will you?" a five-year old Shin uttered, as she was lying in the same bed as Akira, holding him in a hug._

"…_I would never leave you, Shin." Akira replied, as he looked at Shin with a smile. "Even if someone tore us apart… I'd cross all the seas in the world to find you again."_

"…_that's just silly, big bro." Shin said with a laugh, as she closed her eyes, smiling. "…but thanks for looking out for me… Akira…" Then, she fell asleep, unaware of the fact that Akira was holding back his tears as much as he could muster._

"It's the reason I'm a bounty hunter!" Akira yelled in response to the men, before he suddenly pulled the spear out of the ground in mid-air, before viciously slashing it at the men from behind, cutting them down where they stood. As he landed, he glared at the remaining men. "…who's next?"

"…he-he's a monster! RUN!" the men suddenly yelled, as they scrambled to get away from Akira as quickly as they could, running out of the village, leaving the villagers completely baffled.

"…you… saved our lives…" the boy who had been threatened uttered, as he looked up at Akira. "…thank you, mister!" At that point, all of the villagers broke out into cheer, as they ran towards Akira, who merely smiled.

"Oh, it was nothing…" Akira muttered as he scratched the back of his head, all whilst the villagers showered him with praise. As they did that, Akira glanced back at the tower, before smirking. _Morte… you guys go get him. _he thought.

"_So in the end… you lost." Now, Morte was sitting on the ground, looking at a defeated Akira, as he licked blood off his pata sword, before spitting it out. "You put up one hell of a fight, though… why didn't you just give up, when you were so thoroughly damaged?"_

"…_because…" Akira croaked, as he looked up at Morte. "...I couldn't… give up… I have to…"_

_As he said that, Morte tilted his head. "…you know, if you're looking for someone, I can help you out."_

_Hearing Morte say that made Akira look up at Morte, a shocked look on his face. "…you what?" he uttered._

"_You see, I strive for perfection." Morte said, as he reached an arm out to Akira. "And if my co-worker has something that's keeping him from doing his very best… well, I can't have that. So with my help, you're going to find whoever you're looking for."_

_Hearing that, Akira couldn't hold in his tears any longer, as he broke down crying, before grabbing Morte's hand. "…thank you… boss…" he sobbed._

"_Hey, now, don't cry like that." Morte said, as he pulled Akira on his feet. "And you can call me Morte." he added, smiling in a friendly manner._

**A/N: **Ah, nothing like a good portion of flashbacks and present-day action, all packed-up in one! So, I hope you guys enjoyed this, because we're not done yet! Until next time, remember to read and review, and I'll see you for when we take a look at Vraspos… or Tenpan… any of those two! Who do you want to see first? In any case, see you later!

**YolkaEd**


	76. A Day in the Life of a Hunter part 3

"…you're gonna grind us into the ground?" Morte uttered, as he cracked his neck, observing Girikai and Dargano, both of them looking eager for a fight. "Please. Do you two even have the faintest idea of who we are?"

"Well, let's see…" Girikai muttered, as he pointed at Morte. "Morte del Astuto, commonly known as Manigordo, right?"

"…well, looks like he knows you, Morte." Vraspos noted, as he glanced at Dargano, who still hadn't said anything. "What about her?"

"Ah, Dargano? She's not really the talkative type." Girikai chuckled, as he tapped the blunt edge of his nodachi against his shoulder, looking at the three bounty hunters. "Now, I think it's time for you three to start praying!"

"…for what?" Morte inquired. "I don't think you two know what we're capable of… well, most of us, at least."

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Tenpan snapped, as she glared at Morte, though predictably enough, Morte didn't even notice her.

"You'd be wise not to underestimate us, Manigordo." Girikai chuckled, as he grabbed hold of his robe, before pulling it off, showing off his shirtless body. Doing so also revealed that his right forearm was actually missing, instead replaced with a chain splitting off into three paths, with each end having a spiked ball at the end. "Now let's skip all the boring prattle, and get on with the fight!"

At that point, Girikai ran right towards Morte, raising his right arm with the intent on crushing him with the three flails he had protruding from his right arm. However, the spiked balls met only with the large end of Vraspos' Zweihänder, blocking the attack from reaching Morte. "Leave him to me, Morte." Vraspos said bluntly, before slashing the large sword, which knocked Girikai back.

"Thanks; owe ya one!" Morte said, before he morphed into his full-animal form, quickly dashing past Girikai.

"You won't get away like that! Dargano, intercept 'im!" Girikai called, and in that instant, Dargano leapt right in Morte's path, both her wakizashi and kodachi at the ready. However, all of a sudden, someone knocked her back as well; Tenpan, holding her active Shock Baton.

"Leave her to me!" Tenpan said, as she twirled the baton around, before giving Morte a nod. "You can handle Sihiri on your own, can't you?"

"Of course I can! I'm a professional, remember?" Morte replied with a smirk, as he quickly dashed towards the tower, leaving his two companions to deal with Sihiri's subordinates. _Show them how we bounty hunters operate!_

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Day in the Life of a Hunter part 3**

**Vraspos von Baron, the Power-Hungry Shandian**

"So, you think you can deal with me, huh?" Girikai chuckled, as he swung his nodachi around with his left arm, whilst rotating the three flails from his right arm around. "Interesting… what makes you think you can do that?"

"Easy; you're a big target." Vraspos replied snidely, before spinning his sword around like a leek, walking towards Girikai. "Destructive Scratches." Then, he seemingly vanished, but Girikai suddenly raised his nodachi to block the incoming strike, actually repelling Vraspos before he could move past him, rendering the two in a stand-still. "…impressive."

"You ain't got time to be impressed!" Girikai laughed, as he raised his right arm, before swinging it down, intending to crush Vraspos with the three flails. However, Vraspos had simply leapt back before the attack could reach him, saving his life. "I got four weapons on me, and you only got one!"

"Technically, it's two weapons." Vraspos noted, as he held the Zweihänder in his right hand, so that its blade pointed away from both him and Girikai, before he rushed at Girikai again. "Switchblade Cut." The moment he got close to Girikai, he threw the sword over to his left one, rushing past the larger man.

However, even as a large gash appeared on his chest, Girikai didn't seem hurt at all. "…c'mon, is that the best you can do, with that huge-ass blade?" he chuckled, before spinning around, swinging his flails at Vraspos, who quickly blocked it with his sword. "I barely even felt it!" Then, before Vraspos could move, Girikai suddenly jabbed his nodachi at Vraspos.

Thankfully, Vraspos twisted his body around so that the blade only nicked his side, instead of impaling him, which likely was what Girikai intended to do. "Then feel this." Vraspos muttered, as he leapt away from Girikai, before stabbing the Zweihänder into the ground. "Dustcloud Slash." Then, he spun around, slashing the ground around him, which created a cloud of dust around him, concealing him from Girikai's line of sight.

"Trying to hide, eh?" Girikai chuckled, as he ran right at the dust cloud, preparing to swing his nodachi at it. "It's not gonna help when I can clearly see you!" he laughed, as he slashed the large sword at the dust cloud, slicing through like there was nothing there at all.

And as it turned out, there really was nothing there, as he had cut through nothing but air. "You fell for it." he heard Vraspos utter, as he suddenly appeared behind Girikai. "Perilous Stabs." he said, as he mercilessly stabbed his sword forward multiple times at a surprising speed, each time getting Girikai someplace different on his body.

"Kkh… heh." Girikai uttered, as he glared at Vraspos from over his shoulder, with a maniacal grin. "Perilous, my ass!" he yelled, before suddenly swinging his flails at Vraspos, and this time, he scored a direct hit, knocking Vraspos down to the ground. "Pathetic. You get a surprise hit, and it's some weak stabbing move. Why even bother carrying around a blade like that, if you can't score a decent hit on me?"

Coughing, Vraspos got back on his feet, glaring at Girikai. "…none of your business." he scoffed, before rushing at Girikai again, slashing his Zweihänder at him, but Girikai easily blocked the attack with his own nodachi.

"_None of our business?" a Marine soldier said with a chuckle. "Come on, Vraspos, you're always so mysterious when it comes to your past! Can't you indulge us one bit?"_

"…_I never talk about my past, Jera." Vraspos scoffed, as he moved his large straw hat a bit away from his eyes, so he could look at the soldier. "It's not even that exciting of a story, so I see no need to indulge people with it."_

"_Come on, you can tell us!" a few more soldiers said in a jovial tone, as they walked up to Vraspos, looking up at him. "If you're afraid that the captain's gonna put you in house arrest, or something, don't! Now tell us!"_

"…_I fell from the sky. There, happy?" Vraspos muttered, which only got the soldiers to laugh; they had thought it was a joke. But he had been serious._

"Come on, you're not even trying, are you?" Girikai scoffed, as he was easily holding off Vraspos with his nodachi, even though Vraspos had used both of his hands to swing the sword. "And here I thought this could be entertaining… I don't even have to bust out my hidden power for this. Lame."

"…you're just a bucket of sunshine, aren't you?" Vraspos scoffed, as he suddenly moved his right arm to within his coat, before pulling out a revolver. "But the games end here." he said, as he quickly aimed it at Girikai's body, pulling the trigger.

However, even as the bullet pierced right through Girikai, he really didn't seem to notice it, even though he stumbled a bit away from Vraspos. "…I thought you were supposed to be a swordfighter." he uttered, as he glanced at Vraspos, before giving him a dull scowl. "Ain't it a violation of honor, to use a weapon like that?"

Vraspos raised an eyebrow at this remark, before pocketing his revolver with a scoff. "Said the man with three spiked balls hanging from his right arm." he said, before running at Girikai again, mercilessly swinging the Zweihänder at him, though Girikai blocked every single move he made against him.

"Stop screwing around, already!" Girikai yelled, as he aimed a sudden kick at Vraspos, knocking the air out of him, just as Girikai raised his right arm, ready to crush Vraspos with the flails again. "If you're not gonna fight with all you have, die!" At that point, however, Vraspos shot a hand right at Girikai, grabbing his right arm, holding it in place. "Hn?"

"I won't die here." Vraspos muttered, as he glared at Girikai. "I seek power, and I'll stop at nothing to obtain it. If I can beat you, surely I can gain power?"

"…you're really messed up in the head, aren't ya?" Girikai scoffed, before grinning. "I like that!" he laughed, as he shot his knee directly into Vraspos' gut, knocking the air out of him a second time.

"_Sir, what is the meaning of this?" Vraspos uttered, as he was locked in the brig of a ship, glaring up at his captain, who only sneered whilst looking at him._

"_The squad I assigned you to lead is not up to Marine standards, Lieutenant von Baron." the captain scoffed, as he shook his head. "They're far too casual with one another, and it's… well, it's disconcerting."_

"_I can't exactly change who they are, can I?" Vraspos uttered, as he raised an eyebrow. "If you want them to behave differently, get a hypnotist, not me."_

"_Well, we can't afford that, so… we'll have to motivate you to be stricter with your platoon. That's what our example later today will teach you."_

"…_example?" Vraspos uttered, as he raised an eyebrow._

_At that point, the captain grinned. "…we're executing Warrant Officer Jera, for treason against the Marines."_

_That made Vraspos' eyes widen, as he glared at the captain. "…Jera has nothing to do with this." he said, before suddenly standing up from where he was sitting. "Leave him out of it!"_

"_I'm afraid I can't do that." the captain said with a chuckle. "He has already been taken to the island he'll be executed on."_

"…_but… why?" Vraspos yelled, as he ran right at the captain, grabbing hold of the bars that separated the two. "What benefits could you possibly get from killing him?"_

"…_well, we'll have you working harder to ensure that no one else suffers like Warrant Officer Jera." the captain said, before walking away, laughing._

"Now get up!" Girikai said, as he watched Vraspos lying down on the ground, coughing from Girikai's sudden attack. "Are you gonna give me a run for my money, or are you going to give up, already?"

"…not yet." Vraspos uttered, as he got back on his feet, holding the Zweihänder ready, glaring at Girikai. "I'll defeat you…"

"Fat chance." Girikai scoffed, as he glanced towards the tower. "You know, you're boring. I should just go and fight Manigordo, instead. He could give me a proper challenge."

"Don't underestimate me." Vraspos said, as he swung the Zweihänder at Girikai, but before he could hit, Girikai ducked underneath the attack. Then, he threw his nodachi up in the air, before grabbing hold of the Zweihänder's blade, holding it in place so that Vraspos was unable to move it.

"I ain't underestimating you… but you just suck, plain and simple." Girikai scoffed, as he glanced at the Zweihänder. "…guess you won't need _this_, then!" he said, before yanking the massive sword out of Vraspos' hands.

"Hey, that's mine!" Vraspos called, as Girikai weighed the sword with his left hand.

"You won't have any need for it." Girikai scoffed, before he glared at Vraspos. "A weakling like you shouldn't be fighting anyone."

"Tsch…" Glaring back at Girikai, Vraspos clenched his hands together, just as he blinked. _Wait a minute…_

"Now, are you gonna leave quietly, or am I gonna have to force you?" Girikai grunted, as he raised the Zweihänder, ready to swing down on Vraspos.

At that point, however, Vraspos leapt up in the air, which made Girikai glance up at him. "If you take my Zweihänder… then I guess you won't need this." he uttered, as he grabbed Girikai's nodachi in mid-air, swinging it about a few times, before looking down at Girikai.

"…heh." Girikai scoffed, as he smirked. "You just don't know when to give up, do ya?" he said, before pointing the Zweihänder at Vraspos. "It won't matter, anyway. When you get down, I'll cut you in half with your own weapon!"

"…try it, and see what happens." Vraspos scoffed, as he raised the nodachi, as he began falling towards Girikai, who prepared to swing the massive sword at Vraspos. "…Destructive Scratches." he then uttered, as he began spinning the nodachi around, before aiming his arm at Girikai.

When he got close enough, Girikai swung, but it struck the rotating nodachi, negating the attack. "Kkh… don't think you'll survive!" Girikai said, as he swung his flails at Vraspos, but he took advantage of it this time; grabbing hold of the chains before the spiked balls could hit him, which allowed him to swing Girikai right over his head, slamming the amputee onto the ground.

"I think I am surviving." Vraspos scoffed, as he landed on the ground, before looking at the nodachi. "…this is a fine blade. Where did you attain it?" he asked, as he glanced at Girikai, who had already gotten to his feet.

"Made it myself." Girikai said with a grin. "'course, I make lots of things in my spare time, so it's nothing special. My sister always told me that I'd make one hell of a blacksmith, you know."

"…so you're a blacksmith?" Vraspos noted, as he swung the nodachi around. "…you know, you can keep that sword. I'll be using this from now on."

"Heh… no prob. I like this blade a lot better." Girikai chuckled, as he glanced at the Zweihänder. "But where'd you get hold of it?"

"_Wh-what is the meaning of this?" the captain of the Marine ship uttered, as everything around him was burning, the bodies of dead soldiers littered around him. In front of him stood Vraspos, along with a handful of soldiers who were not dead yet._

"…_payback." Vraspos uttered murderously, as he approached the captain with heavy steps. "For Jera."_

"…_is it him you're angry over?" the captain gulped, as he backed away, reaching his arms out to try and pick up something he could defend himself with. "…well… that's-"_

"_Stop talking." Vraspos uttered, as he cracked his neck. "From now on… my platoon is in charge of this ship."_

"…_no… never!" Suddenly, the captain shifted from frail-hearted to enraged, as he grabbed a sword; a Zweihänder with a massive blade. "I'll never give up my command to a lowly Lieutenant!" Then, he ran at Vraspos, who stood his ground._

"…_I'm no Lieutenant." Vraspos scoffed, as he suddenly pulled out a revolver, before pulling the trigger, planting one bullet straight in the captain's head, killing him instantly. "I'm in charge." he added, as the captain's body fell to the deck. Then, Vraspos approached the captain's body, before grabbing the Zweihänder. "…I might need this."_

"…none of your business." Vraspos uttered, as he began slashing at the air with his nodachi, before pulling out his revolver, giving Girikai a nod. "Let's continue the fight."

"…you just won't give up, huh?" Girikai scoffed, before he began laughing. "Well, I guess I'll just have to show you my power, before I kill ya!"

"…why did you randomly decide to do that now?" Vraspos inquired, as he raised an eyebrow.

"Because otherwise, this is just gonna be too boring!" Girikai cackled, as his entire body began changing shape, growing even bigger and more muscular, as he grew black and white fur all over his body; the black fur growing on his ears, legs, arms, shoulders, around his eyes and his chin, and the white fur growing everywhere else. Once the transformation was over, aside from his right arm having a triple-flail attached to it, he looked like a hybrid between a human and a panda.

"…Devil Fruit." Vraspos noted, before he closed his eyes. "Kuma Kuma no Mi, Model: Panda. Is that supposed to be intimidating?"

"Once you see the strength I get from this form, you'll be surprised!" Girikai laughed, as he ran at Vraspos, raising his flail-arm and aiming and aiming another strike at Vraspos. While Vraspos leapt away from the strike, however, the impact from when the spiked balls struck the ground created a massive tremor, which in turn amassed a shockwave that knocked Vraspos off his feet.

"…not bad." Vraspos noted, as he got back on his feet, before rushing at Girikai again, slashing the nodachi at the Zoan-user, who kept using the Zweihänder to block each and every strike. "But you're still not going to win."

"_What? Boss, you can't just leave us!" On an island in the East Blue, Vraspos was suited in his usual traveling clothes, walking away from a ship, where his platoon, along with some other men were standing._

"_I'm no longer your boss." Vraspos called. "We took over the ship, to search for power and riches… I need to see if I can't find a trove like that for myself." Then, he glanced back at the group. "It's been nice knowing you all… do not forget what we stand for!"_

"…_we stand for riches and power, Vraspos!" the men called, as they began crying at the sight of Vraspos walking away. "But still… we'll never forget you!"_

"…_neither will I." Vraspos responded, as he couldn't help but smile. "Go on, then… Jera Mercenaries."_

"What kinda talk is that?" Girikai laughed, as he began taking the offensive, mercilessly swinging his flail and Zweihänder at Vraspos, who had to nimbly evade all of these blows. "You haven't even managed to slow me down! How do you expect to win?"

"…I do not expect." Vraspos replied, as he leapt away from Girikai, before holding the nodachi with his right hand so that it pointed away from both himself and Girikai. "I know I'll win."

"_So, you wish to join me and Akira, here?" At the moment, Vraspos was looking down at Morte del Astuto and Akira Mikage, the latter a bit intimidated by Vraspos, but the former being completely neutral about it. "Do you think you have what it takes?"_

"_Of course." Vraspos nodded. "You seem like a person I can trust… and with a bounty hunter, I'd be guaranteed to attain power and riches."_

"…_well, I'm not entirely convinced." Morte mused, as he rubbed his chin in thought. "What can you do?"_

"…_I'm a swordfighter." Vraspos replied, as he pulled out his large Zweihänder, showing it to Morte and Akira._

"_Well, it _is_ a huge sword…" Akira noted, as he glanced at Morte. "What do you think?"_

"_No, still not convinced…" Morte muttered, as he folded his arms. "Is there anything special about you that I should know about? I aim for perfection, you see, and just any swordfighter could ruin that."_

"…_well…" At that point, Vraspos took off his cloak, which showed off his wings. "…I come from the sky. I am a Shandian."_

_Blinking, Morte nodded with a surprised look. "Well, that is different, alright…" he mused, before chuckling. "Well, why not? You'd better prove not to be a disappointment, my good man."_

"You know you'll win?" Girikai mused, before laughing. "I have my doubts! Now hurry up and die!" Then, he rushed right at Vraspos, ready to cut him down where he stood.

However, the moment he was about to swing the Zweihänder at him, Vraspos suddenly vanished, before reappearing right behind Girikai, now holding the nodachi in his left hand. "…Switchblade Cut."

At that point, a massive cut appeared across Girikai's gut, blood shooting out of it like a jet. "…kkh…" Grunting, Girikai dropped the Zweihänder, before falling to his knees, reverting from his hybrid form into his human form. "…how the hell did you…"

"…that's none of your business." Vraspos scoffed, as he observed the nodachi, before glancing back at Girikai. "…it was a good fight."

"…well, I'll admit, I had some fun." Girikai shrugged, as he chuckled. "But… I've definitely had better fights." Then, he collapsed.

"…hm." Vraspos scoffed, as he glanced at the tower. "Morte… how will you fare against Sihiri?"

**A/N: **Alright, two down, two to go! How are things going to go for the bounty hunters? We'll find out later! See you for the next chapter, peoples!

**YolkaEd**


	77. A Day in the Life of a Hunter part 4

"Hm… the place is deserted, it seems." After leaving Vraspos and Tenpan to deal with Sihiri's two henchmen, Morte had entered the tower, letting him see the spiralling staircase leading up towards the top of the tower. "Well, better start climbing!" he said, before morphing into his full-animal form, rushing up the stairs with incredible speed, which, given the tower's absurd height, was a good thing.

…_hm… I do wonder how Sihiri performs in battle… _he thought, as he rushed up the stairs as quickly as his legs could carry him. _…come to think of it… this whole thing _does_ sound a bit suspicious, when I narrow down the facts…_ As he was thinking about this, he closed his eyes, still running up the spiralling staircase.

"_Hey… you a bounty hunter, by any shanshe?" In a bar, Morte was sitting right next to a cloaked, drunken old man, who eyed him with interest._

"…_yes, I am." Morte replied, as he looked at the drunk with a raised eyebrow. "What's it to you?"_

"_Well, you shee…" the drunk began, as he pointed at Morte with a shaky finger. "…I happen to know… about shome guy… with a huge-ash bounty on hish… head!"_

"…_I happen to know some guys with big bounties as well." Morte said, as he took a sip out of the mug of booze he had in front of him. "What's your point?"_

"_No, you don't… get it!" the drunk said in protest, pointing his arm up in the air. "You shee… I know of a guy… who even the Marinesh won't tell the general public about…!" Then, he hiccupped, wiping some drool off his lips._

"…_really?" Morte mused, turning to face the drunk with an interested look. "Go on."_

"_They shay that… hish name ish Shihiri!" the drunk said, as he took out a poster. "I got thish from a Marine bashe when I ushed to work there… but I wash kicked out, becaushe they… accushed me of having a drinking problem!"_

"…_I can see why they would assume that…" Morte muttered off-hand, before folding his hands together. "Do you think I could see that poster?"_

"_Boy, thish poshter is worth a fortune!" the drunk said, as he grabbed a bottle of rum, waving it about before taking a swag from it. "You'd need to pay me to be able to shee-" In that instant, Morte slammed a bag of money right in front of the drunk, who could only look at it with a stunned expression._

"_There's at least 5000 Beri in that bag." Morte said, as he smirked. "Should be enough to buy you a few more bottles of rum, right? In exchange, I'd like that poster."_

"…_well, now… you shertainly know how to go about your bushinesh, boy!" the drunk laughed, before he handed Morte the poster. "And shinshe you were sho kind, let me throw thish in, ash a bonush!" Then, he took out an Eternal Pose, handing that to Morte as well. "It'll take you to where Shihiri wash lasht sheen… maybe you can find shome cluesh there?"_

"…_better yet…" Morte said with a smirk. "…I think I'll find him there." Standing up, he gave the drunk a quick bow, before heading out of the bar._

…_yeah, definitely fishy, now that I think about it._ Opening his eyes, Morte licked his lips, as he picked up the pace. _But that's not going to stop me from taking down Sihiri, and collecting the money!_

**Piracy: The New Generation**

**A Day in the Life of a Hunter part 4**

**Tenpan Junsatsu, the Bounty Cop**

With Vraspos busy with Girikai, Tenpan stood alone against Dargano, who weighed her wakizashi and kodachi in her hands, glaring at the green-haired bounty hunter. "…what's the matter?" Tenpan said, as she spun her Shock Baton around in her hands, cracking her neck. "Aren't you going to start taunting me?"

Dargano's response, however, was to shake her head, as she made sure that her fedora was properly placed on her head. Upon closer inspection, it was hard to tell that Dargano was actually a woman; she was pretty androgynous when it came to facial features, and her outfit didn't exactly make matters simpler.

"…when your partner said that you weren't talkative, I didn't think it'd go to such an extent." Tenpan noted, as her baton began emitting electricity. "If that's the case, let's cut the crap, and get started."

Nodding, Dargano aimed her kodachi at Tenpan, aiming the wakizashi away from her, waiting for her opponent to rush at her, rather than do the opposite. With that, Tenpan immediately rushed at the Mafioso-clad woman, thrusting her baton towards Dargano's mid-section. While she managed to block the attack with her kodachi, the electricity around the baton caused a shockwave to push Dargano back a bit.

Gritting her teeth, Dargano ran at Tenpan, spinning her kodachi around in her hand with no real difficulty, before slashing at Tenpan, who was quick to block the strike with her baton. However, before she could react properly, Dargano swiped her wakizashi horizontally at the bounty hunter, who only barely managed to avoid having her head cut off by pulling herself away from Dargano.

"Not bad…" Tenpan scoffed, as she suddenly grabbed hold of Dargano's wrist; the one holding the kodachi locked against her baton. "…but not good enough!" she yelled, before pulling Dargano's hand away, just as she jabbed her baton straight into her chest, sending an intense surge of electricity through Dargano's body, which blew her away from the bounty hunter, crash-landing a distance from her.. "Hmph. If you're one of Sihiri's elite guards, I can't imagine how quickly Morte's gonna finish him off."

"_Run away! It's the Bounty Cop!" __Somewhere on an island in the South Blue, a large number of people were evacuating a bar, as someone was approaching it; as it turned out, it was a woman clad in a police uniform, her dark-green hair just barely covering her eyes, and a baton being twirled around in her right hand. Once the evacuation was over, the woman entered the bar. There, only the bartender, along with three other women was still inside the bar._

_One of the women was fairly large in both height and body mass, and she wore a regular workman's outfit, with suspenders holding her pants up, and her dark-brown hair was tied in a pony tail. The second woman wore a dark-blue bandana which partly concealed light-blonde hair going down to her shoulders, along with some bangs that covered her right eye, and her outfit also consisted of loose, short-sleeved black shirt, a worn-out vest and baggy pants. The last woman was tanned, with long, stunning silver hair, wearing only a two-piece bikini that showed off her large bust. All three of the women glanced at the policewoman, who glared at the three of them._

"_Tara Shikomu, Shimasu Runick, and Zuki Futtota." the policewoman said, as she smacked her baton against her palm repeatedly. "All three of you are hereby under arrest."_

_Hearing that, the silver-haired woman, Tara, sneered, as she raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?" she said. "On what charges?"_

"_I'll tell you right now…" the policewoman said, as she held her baton tightly. "Shimasu Runick, you instigated a fight with several officers regarding a trivial subject matter; Zuki Futtota, you did not have the money to pay for a full-course meal at the island's most expensive restaurant, and chose to run for it; and Tara Shikomu… public indecency."_

"_Well, that's just bull!" Tara yelled, as she slammed her hands against the counter, glaring at the policewoman. "Don't you think the people deserve to see my beautiful body?"_

"_Just who the hell do you think you are, anyway?" Shimasu spat, as she cracked her knuckles, whilst Zuki growled at the policewoman, showing off rows of her steel teeth._

"…_I am Tenpan Junsatsu; the Bounty Cop." the policewoman uttered, just as her baton sparked with electricity. "And I'll have you pay for your crimes!"_

Dargano, however, was quick to get up on her legs, wiping some blood away from the edge of her mouth. As she did that, however, she stuck out her tongue, which slowly began elongating itself. Seeing this, Tenpan raised an eyebrow. "…what the…"

Soon, Dargano's entire body began changing, as her skin changed color, to a more orange hue, while it also became a lot smoother than it was before. After a short while, her entire body structure, while remaining humanoid, looked more or less amphibian.

"…Devil Fruit!" Tenpan uttered, as she twirled her baton around in preparation. "Gama Gama no Mi… Model: Poison Dart. Am I correct?" she inquired, as Dargano nodded in response. "…great. And here I thought that I would only deal with a swordswoman… so, what can you do?"

With a brief bow, Dargano opened her mouth, as her tongue shot out, lashing at Tenpan, who quickly rolled away from it before it could hit her. "…interesting." Tenpan noted, as Dargano retracted her tongue just a bit.

Smirking, she began licking the blades of her swords, covering them in salvia, before curling her tongue around the handle of her wakizashi. After doing that, Dargano shot her tongue at Tenpan again, slashing at her with the wakizashi. Thankfully, Tenpan managed to avoid being cut too badly, but she wasn't quick enough to avoid Dargano to leave a small cut along her left arm.

Almost instantly, Tenpan felt that arm go limp, as she looked at it in surprise. "…the hell?" she uttered, before glaring at Dargano, who retracted her tongue back into her mouth. "You…" she began, before closing her eyes. "…I see. Your salvia is like a neurotoxin." Saying that, she opened her eyes again, looking at the Mafioso. "I take it that in large doses, it can be fatal?"

Dargano nodded, as she crouched down, before leaping up into the air, and with her hybrid-form, her leap was a tremendous one, much higher than what Tenpan could have imagined. Before Tenpan could comment on that, however, Dargano shot her tongue out at Tenpan again, aiming to impale her with her wakizashi.

In spite of her left arm being paralyzed, Tenpan was quick enough to leap away from the tongue before it could hit her, leaving the wakizashi to embed itself into the ground. _…she's crafty, I'll give her that…_ she thought, as she twirled her Shock Baton in her right hand, just as Dargano retracted her tongue. _…but craftiness doesn't guarantee you a victory. I just need to find a weak spot, and exploit it!_

As she began descending, Dargano suddenly wrapped her tongue around her kodachi's handle as well, before she began spinning her tongue around, letting her swords spin around like propellers. As she landed, she immediately shot her tongue out at Tenpan, who rolled away from this attack, before she began running towards the frog-hybrid.

_Come on, think, think… what weak spot could she have? _Tenpan thought, as she tried seeing if Dargano allowed herself to be open in some way or another. At that point, she noticed that Dargano suddenly retracted her tongue, which caused her to look behind her; namely, at the spinning blades which came at her in reverse.

Her eyes widening, Tenpan quickly rolled away from the blades, though her left heel was nicked slightly by the blades. Because of the salvia covering the blades, however, Tenpan instantly stumbled and tripped, crashing against the ground. "…shit…" she uttered, as she tried getting up, but she found that her left foot would not move.

"_Kkh… you're not too bad." Shimasu spat, as she and Tenpan glared at each other; Zuki was currently trying to wake up Tara, who had been brutally slammed into a wall earlier, whilst Tenpan and Shimasu had been locked in a battle__ outside the bar up until now, with Tenpan's baton was emitting electricity at a rapid rate, whilst Shimasu's brass knuckles were dripping with blood._

"_I have to admit… I didn't expect you to be this adept in battle." Tenpan uttered, as she wiped blood from the edge of her mouth. "But the fact remains… I'm going to bring the lot of you in!"_

"_Over my dead body, bitch!" Shimasu yelled, as she dashed at Tenpan, throwing a punch aimed at her gut. Tenpan couldn't help but keel over in pain once the punch connected, but she was quick to jab her baton against Shimasu, sending a current of electricity through her, knocking her away from Tenpan._

"…_Shimasu!" Zuki yelled, as she stood up from where Tara was lying, glaring at Tenpan._

"…_don't worry, Zuki!" Shimasu called, as she gave her larger friend a nod. "I got this… you just take care of Tara!"_

"_The lot of you can take care of each other in a prison cell!" Tenpan yelled, as she pointed her baton at them. "You may not know me, but I am a renowned bounty hunter here in the South Blue. I aim to become a legend here, as Daz Bones was in West Blue, and Roronoa Zoro was in East Blue!"_

"_And I suppose that you need to go to the Grand Line, to fulfill such an objective?" they heard a male voice say, something that made all their heads jerk up in surprise. "If you follow me… I can help you achieve that."_

_Blinking, Tenpan looked around, though as she did, she felt her head grow lighter. "…who… are you?" she uttered, as she fell to her knees, just as Shimasu and Zuki did as well._

"_Me?" the man chuckled, as they could hear someone approach them; however, their minds became clouded, as it became hard for them to think straight. "From this day forward… you may call me Lord Dokusai." After that, everything went black._

Grinning, Dargano wasted no time in shooting her tongue out at Tenpan again; however, the bounty hunter could still roll away from this elongated attack, letting her tongue sail right past her. _Damn it… if I could only get close to her…_ Tenpan thought, as she nimbly ducked underneath the tongue and the blades shooting right over her. _…or…_

In that instant, she looked up, a smirk crossing her lips. She could feel the numbness leave her left arm, as she shook her hand to confirm that she could move it again. "…I figured out your weakness." she said, something that made Dargano drop her grin. "The next time you attack… is going to be the end of the battle." As Tenpan said that, her Shock Baton crackled with electricity once more.

Frowning, Dargano wasted no time in shooting her tongue right at Tenpan, who ducked underneath it once more. Before she could retract her tongue, however, Tenpan suddenly grabbed it with her left hand, holding it in place. "It's over!" Tenpan yelled, as she jabbed the tip of the baton directly into the tongue.

In that instant, a massive current of electricity went through Dargano's tongue, headed directly into her body, which caused her entire body to become electrocuted. As she was being fried, for the first time during this whole confrontation, she actually screamed in pain, as Tenpan watched her handiwork with a satisfied grin. After a while, Tenpan let go of Dargano's tongue, allowing it to retract into the Zoan-user's mouth, before she fell to the ground, unconscious.

"…and that's the end of that." Tenpan said with a satisfied smirk, as she looked at her left arm; holding the tongue for so long had paralyzed her hand again, and she couldn't move it. "…at least I hope so; I won't be able to do much with this out of commission."

"So, you're done?" At that point, Vraspos approached Tenpan, supporting Girikai's nodachi on his shoulder, looking down at the uniformed bounty hunter.

"…yeah. It wasn't too difficult, really." Tenpan said, as she looked up at Vraspos. "What now? Are you planning on helping Manigordo out?"

"Nope." Vraspos responded, before hoisting Tenpan up on her feet. "He can handle Sihiri on his own. We should check up on Akira, to see if he's alright."

"…yeah…" Tenpan nodded, as she recalled the uniformed men rushing towards the village earlier. "What about these two, though? Do we just leave them?"

"Yes." Vraspos nodded, as he turned towards the village, walking away. "As far as I'm concerned, none of them have a bounty on their heads, so we're done with them. Let's go."

"…okay." Tenpan nodded, before she looked up at the tower again. _…Morte… you'd better not get yourself killed! _she thought, before running after Vraspos.

After what had seemed like forever, Morte finally reached the end of the staircase, which ended in front of a door, as he wiped his forehead with a sigh. "That took too long…" he muttered, as he glanced behind him. "…though, now that I think about it… he could have been hiding in any of the rooms I passed by on the way here…"

Shaking his head, however, he looked back at the door, before morphing into his human form. "No matter; I came all this way, so I should at least see what's behind this door!" Nodding, he pressed his hands against the door, slowly pushing it open.

When he opened it, he got to see just where he had ended up; right at the top of the tower, which, apart from the door leading up there, a railing so that no one could fall off the edge by accident, and some ominous-looking spires along the sides, was completely flat. However, he did see someone on the far end of this arena-like top, with his back turned to Morte. "…you're the Sorcerer, Sihiri, right?"

"…Manigordo." the man uttered, as he turned around to face Morte; as it turned out, it was an old man whose beard and moustache had been bound together by ribbons; none other than Sihiri himself. "I have been expecting you for some time, now… you're quite competent to have outmaneuvered Girikai and Dargano." Then, he aimed his arm at Morte, as a spark of electricity danced around his fingers. "Ready to die?"

"I should ask you the same question." Morte said with a smirk, as he aimed his pata sword at Sihiri, licking his lips. "Or at least, I should ask if you're ready to be defeated; because I'm going to take your bounty in!"

**A/N: **It's been a while, I know, but summer tends to screw me over in terms of writing. Now we move on to the one we've all been waiting for, namely Manigordo himself! Will this battle surprise you? I sure hope so!

Just a minor shameless plug (Go, me XD) before I sign off. My newest story, Battle Coliseum, is in need of some battle requests, so if you'll take a moment of your time and request a battle you'd like to see (sadly (or not), only canon One Piece characters, not fan-made ones) duke it out, I'd appreciate it very much. Until next time, people!

**YolkaEd**


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